photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Maliqe Crenshaw is pictured with his attorney, Jessica Glendening, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Douglas County District Court.

A Lawrence man was sentenced Friday to 31 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter in connection with a 2023 shooting that killed a Topeka man.

The man, Maliqe Crenshaw, 23, was originally charged with one felony count of second-degree murder in connection with the death of 20-year-old Cameron Renner on June 3, 2023, around 1 a.m. in the 2400 block of Cedarwood Drive, as the Journal-World reported. However, Crenshaw, in a July 23 deal with the state, was allowed to plead no contest to involuntary manslaughter.

He and Renner didn’t know each other, by all accounts, but had become enmeshed in a feud between other men. As the Journal-World reported, the feud escalated to various taunts, a firework was thrown toward Crenshaw’s residence, and Crenshaw reacted by pulling his gun and firing, inadvertently killing Renner.

At the sentencing Friday, the mother and grandmother of Renner, both in tears, expressed their grief and beseeched the court to “do the right thing” and give Crenshaw the maximum allowable sentence.

“You robbed my son of his life,” Kaitie Paine told Crenshaw, shaking and sobbing. “He never even got to celebrate his 21st birthday.”

Renner’s grandmother, Leslie Paine, said her grandson had unwittingly been pulled into the feud between his cousin and a friend of Crenshaw and had ended up dying as a result. She said Renner had been at her house just prior to the shooting, “on a beautiful night,” eating a bowl of ice cream, when his cousin asked him to leave with him.

She said Renner did leave, believing he’d back so soon that he didn’t even bother to bring his wallet or phone. But she never saw him again.

Crenshaw’s mother also spoke at the sentencing Friday, asking the judge to show mercy on her son for his involvement in the “tragedy.” She said her son had experienced a traumatic childhood, including being severely bullied and witnessing her being beaten. As a result he had developed a troubled reaction to threats of violence.

This is a developing story and will be updated.