Kiara Austin & Brian Maxey Fresno Shooting Case | April 28, 2019

Fresno Couple Kiara Austin and Brian Maxey Killed in 26-Shot Gang Ambush at The Parks at Fig Garden

FRESNO, Calif. — A late-night visit to a Fresno apartment complex turned deadly on April 28, 2019, when 19-year-old Kiara Austin and 20-year-old Brian Maxey were shot and killed near Ashlan and Fruit avenues.

Police said Austin, Maxey, and three others were inside a car at The Parks at Fig Garden apartment complex when several men approached them. The group had reportedly been visiting friends and was trying to leave when the shooting started.

The case later became one of Fresno’s most devastating “wrong place, wrong time” crimes. Two young parents were killed. Three others survived. And years later, court records would show how the case moved from a violent crime scene to a murder conviction, a massive prison sentence, and then a later appellate update.

What Happened on April 28, 2019?

According to Fresno police and local reports, the shooting happened around 2:22 a.m. near Ashlan and Fruit avenues. Five people were in a car at The Parks at Fig Garden when several males approached and told them to leave. Police said the people inside the car did not provoke the confrontation.

As the car tried to leave, police said two gunmen opened fire. One had what appeared to be an assault rifle. The other had a handgun. Investigators said at least 26 rounds were fired into the vehicle from close range.

The driver was hit. The car then crashed through a wall and went into a nearby canal. Officers and emergency crews arrived to a chaotic scene. ABC30 reported that one of the survivors was on top of the car trying to give CPR when help arrived. A K-9 officer used a 50-foot leash to help pull her to safety.

Kiara Austin and Brian Maxey Were Killed

Police identified the victims as 19-year-old Kiara Austin and 20-year-old Brian Maxey. Fresno Bee reported that Austin died from at least four gunshot wounds. Maxey was also killed after being struck in the upper body.

Austin was the mother of three children. Reports said she had 3-year-old twin sons and a 7-month-old daughter. Maxey was the father of Austin’s baby daughter.

ABC30 later spoke with Austin’s family, who described her as a young mother trying to move forward with her life. Her mother, Patricia Gibbs, said Kiara “didn’t even get to make it to 20.” Family members said Austin had been trying to get back into school and do better for herself and her children.

Three Others Survived the Attack

Three people survived the shooting and crash. ABC30 reported that Brian’s brother Queshawn was shot in the arm. Brian’s sister Mary was not shot but was injured. Another survivor, identified in reports as Nandi Williams, was rescued from the canal after trying to help Kiara.

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said the city was fortunate that all five people inside the car were not killed, given the number of rounds fired into the vehicle.

Police Said the Attack Was Unprovoked

Early reports described the shooting as unprovoked. Police said Austin, Maxey, and the others were not gang members and had been at the complex to visit friends.

Later reporting and court records connected the shooting to gang territory. ABC30 reported that police said Austin and Maxey were innocent victims and that Kelley and others opened fire to protect gang turf.

Court records also described prosecution evidence that linked the case to the North Side Pleasant gang. The appellate opinion said witnesses identified Kelley, known by the nickname “Doughboy,” and described the confrontation before the shooting.

Donovan Kelley Was Arrested Months Later

In July 2019, Fresno police arrested Donovan Kelley in connection with the double murder. ABC30 reported that Kelley was arrested after the April shooting left two people dead and three children without parents.

Police said Kelley and another suspect opened fire as the car tried to leave. Reports said Kelley was charged with two counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, and one count of intimidating a witness.

Fresno Bee reported that police believed Kelley was a member of the Northside Pleasant gang. The outlet also reported that police were still asking for help identifying another man they believed fired at the car with an assault rifle.

The Conviction and Sentence

In March 2021, a jury convicted Donovan Jawaun Kelley of the second-degree murders of Brian Maxey and Kiara Austin. The jury also convicted him of the attempted murders of Queshawn, Nandi, and Mary, along with dissuading a witness from testifying.

Fresno Bee reported that Judge Gary Hoff sentenced Kelley to 206 years and 4 months to life in prison. ABC30 described the sentence as more than 206 years, plus six life sentences.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Deborah Miller told Fresno Bee that Kelley and other Northside Pleasant Street gang members attacked the victims’ car at least 26 times and that the attack was unprovoked.

Important Case Update: Appeal and Resentencing

There is an important legal update after the original sentencing.

In May 2023, the California Court of Appeal issued an opinion in The People v. Kelley. The court rejected several of Kelley’s claims, including arguments tied to COVID-era masks at trial. However, the appellate court vacated his sentence and sent the case back for resentencing because of changes involving gang enhancement law under AB 333.

The court dismissed the gang enhancements but said prosecutors were not barred from retrying those enhancements on remand. The judgment was affirmed in all other respects.

That means the murder and attempted murder convictions remained in place, but the sentence reported in 2021 was later sent back for further court action. I did not find a clear public follow-up showing the final resentencing result after the 2023 remand.

What Is Confirmed

Public reports and court records confirm that Kiara Austin and Brian Maxey were killed on April 28, 2019, near Ashlan and Fruit in Fresno. Police said the car was shot at least 26 times before it crashed through a wall and into a canal.

Public court records confirm that Donovan Jawaun Kelley was convicted in 2021 of second-degree murder, attempted murder, and witness dissuasion. The appellate court later vacated the sentence for resentencing but affirmed the judgment in all other respects.

What Is Not Fully Confirmed Publicly

I did not find a public source confirming that every alleged shooter was arrested or convicted.

I also did not find a public update showing Kelley’s final resentencing result after the 2023 appellate decision.

Because of that, the safest wording is: Kelley was convicted in the case; his original 206-years-to-life sentence was later vacated for resentencing, while the convictions were otherwise affirmed.

A Fresno Case Remembered Years Later

The deaths of Kiara Austin and Brian Maxey left three children without their mother and one child without both parents. Their families were left to explain a violent loss that happened during what police described as an unprovoked attack.

Years later, the case remains one of Fresno’s most tragic April 28 crime stories. It is remembered not only because of the violence, but because two young parents lost their lives while trying to leave.