Cedric D. Gaston, a 24-year-old man from Kenosha, Wisconsin, was a father to a young son and a baby daughter. His brother, Cartier Gaston, called him his best friend, and his family remembered him as a lovable person who lit up any room he entered. The mother of his son, Katrina Haun, recalled him messaging her just hours before his death to arrange a visit with their child. “He was very loved,” his brother said. “He loved his kids.”
In the early morning hours of April 18, 2021, Cedric was at the Somers House Tavern with his close friends, Atkeen Stevenson, 26, and Kevin Donaldson, 22. The three men were regulars at the popular bar. Around 12:45 a.m., a physical altercation broke out after a man reportedly bumped into one of the friends. The man, later identified as 24-year-old Rakayo A. Vinson, was punched in the face during the scuffle.
After the tavern owner took Vinson aside to calm him down, Vinson returned to the group and opened fire inside the crowded establishment. An eyewitness reported that he unloaded his weapon and then reloaded it.
The gunfire killed Cedric, Stevenson, and Donaldson. Two of the men died at the scene, while the third died after getting into a car. Three other patrons, who were not believed to be targets, were also wounded by stray bullets. The community was left reeling from the loss of the three friends. Cedric and Atkeen were especially close; a cousin described them as inseparable, like "Ren and Stimpy, yin and yang, salt and pepper."
After the shooting, Vinson fled the scene and stole a relative’s car in Mount Pleasant. He was arrested by Mount Pleasant police after the relative called authorities to report that Vinson had returned to their home. He was booked into the Kenosha County Jail on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide, and his bail was set at $4 million. The Kenosha County District Attorney stated that the shooting was "literally over a very minor dispute that happens in a busy bar across this country every night."
Rakayo Vinson was prosecuted for the killings. He was ultimately convicted of the murders and sentenced by a Kenosha County judge to life in prison.
