‘He was a joy:’ Family remembers weightlifter killed trying to break up fight in KC
.jpg "Deion Lewis, 31, was fatally shot on Feb. 12, while he tried to break up a fight on a Kansas City road, his uncle Birdell Lewis said.")
After 31-year-old Deion Lewis was fatally shot in Kansas City in mid-February, his family didn’t realize the number of community members who would want to support them.
Members of Kansas City’s fitness community poured into his funeral, called family and sent cards. They sent messages of love and asked how they could support loved ones of the avid weightlifter who worked out at gyms across the city, his uncle Birdell Lewis said.
In response, the family created a GoFundMe that generated more than $14,000 in donations in the first two weeks.
“All of the numbers may not be these hundreds and thousands of dollars that individuals have given,” Birdell Lewis said, “but it’s just the fact that people are willing to say ‘we miss this guy, we want to support the family, we want to do something,’ which has just been amazing.”
The shooting
Officers responded shortly after 2 a.m. on Feb. 12 to a shooting in the area of 39th Street and Woodland Avenue, where they found Deion Lewis and another man, 27-year-old Tyler J. Giles, shot and unresponsive on the ground, according to Capt. Jake Becchina, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department.
Emergency medical services declared Deion Lewis dead at the scene.
Giles was taken to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries. The killings were the eighth and ninth homicides in Kansas City this year, according to data tracked by The Star.
Police have said they believe multiple people were in the area because of a non-injury crash, when an argument broke out. Shots were fired, and Deion Lewis and Giles were struck. The men didn’t know each other, Birdell Lewis said.
Deion Lewis was following his friend’s car, who ended up in a crash. He pulled over to help when Giles allegedly stopped and tried to take video of the situation, his uncle said.
A fight allegedly broke out between Giles and another person at the scene, which Deion Lewis tried to break up when he was shot, friends at the scene told Birdell Lewis.
Detectives are working to identify any persons of interest in the shooting. No one has been arrested or charged.
‘He was a joy’
Deion Lewis worked in security for more than six years, most recently serving as a security supervisor for Allied Universal and often worked security for the Kauffman Foundation, his uncle said. Through his work with Allied Universal, he had traveled to Portugal, Poland and Germany, among other places, to protect dignitaries.
For him, the job was a passion that allowed him to fulfill his goal of helping others and working in public service. At his funeral, Deion Lewis’ manager told the crowd he was often seen smiling while he was working.
Deion Lewis grew up going to church and enjoyed playing football since he was around six years old, Birdell Lewis said.
When he was younger, Deion Lewis loved the sport because it was a way to be active and spend more time outside. As he got older, he cared about competing and winning with his team.
At Belton High School, he won conference awards for his time on the football team. In college, Deion Lewis first played football at Simpson College in Iowa and later transferred to Southern Arkansas University.
As an adult, he still loved working out and spent time at gyms across the metro area. He was most interested in strength training along with his brother, who is a weightlifter and trainer.
The Lewis family has always been close, Birdell Lewis said. His uncle last saw him in January. They talked about NFL playoffs and who might win the AFC Championship — Deion’s Chiefs or Birdell’s Ravens.
Deion Lewis was a protective older brother to his three younger siblings, but he loved to joke around and make people around him laugh. He could find the positives in any person and enjoyed talking to others and sharing parts of himself with them.
At birthday parties for his siblings and cousins, he liked to sing, dance and make funny faces to put a smile on people’s faces.
Friends told the family that Lewis’ positivity was contagious. When a gathering ended, they often found themselves wishing they could spend more time with him.
“He was a joy,” Birdell Lewis said. “He made me want to be an uncle. He made me want to be a best buddy.”
Birdell Lewis said his family is early in their grieving process. As time passes, he said they may consider starting a scholarship or memorial fund in Deion Lewis’ name or have their experience aid in the fight for stricter gun laws.
His nephew’s death was another result of senseless gun violence in the metro area, Birdell Lewis said. More needs to be done across the United States and in the Kansas City community specifically, he said, to combat the epidemic and lower the number of people who die because of gun violence.
“It has to stop.”
This story was originally published February 29, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
