Both killed in KC shooting, 2 cousins of ‘tight-knit family’ remembered as devoted dads

Two men killed in a shooting Sunday in Kansas City are being remembered by loved ones as hardworking and devoted fathers.

They each had many qualities that made them special, their mothers both said, but most of all, they will remember how the two men always kept their word.

Nicholas Lewis, 37, and Reginald (Reggie) McGee, 34, were killed while waiting in line at a gas station convenience store the morning of March 10. Nicholas Lewis died at a hospital. His cousin Reggie died at the scene.

The shooting happened after another customer became angry in the store and brandished a gun, police told the Lewis family. Police are investigating a suspect they believe was involved in the shooting.

“We have to teach our young people to walk away,” said Tressa Lewis, Nicholas Lewis’ mother. “Everybody has guns and everybody thinks that’s the answer and it is not. I would tell them to walk away, right or wrong, walk away.”

A tight-knit family

Nicholas Lewis was always trying to make others laugh, his mother Tressa Lewis said. He was a movie buff and had a great sense of humor.

He left behind three children: a son named Nicholas Jr., 6; and two daughters, Parys, 8, and London, 14.

“He was a good person, I loved him. … I just wish he was here, we miss him dearly,” said Adrian Booker, Nicholas Lewis’ longtime friend and mother of their children.

Booker said she is glad their children were able to know their father before he died. He spent a lot of quality time with their children, she said, and some of his favorite things to do centered around being a father.

Nicholas Lewis was the family’s personal mechanic. He was good with his hands and could fix just about anything. He was humble, and didn’t just tell his family that he loved them, he showed it, Tressa Lewis said.

He was also devoted to his friend and cousin Reggie.

“Nicholas and Reggie have been together since they were babies,” she said.

“The sky’s the limit for who they would have become,” Tressa Lewis said. “They just had that personality, they were respectful young men.”

Reggie McGee was a big Kansas City Chiefs fan, a handyman and proud father. Like his cousin, he also enjoyed working with his hands.

He spent a lot of time with his 7-year-old daughter Yvonne McGee, helping her with school work and doing daddy-daughter activities. His joy was radiant around her, his mother Gaila McGee said.

Reggie McGee was also close with his older brother Grady McGee IV.

“It’s unbelievable that he’s not here,” said Gaila McGee. “He was a good person and he didn’t deserve that.”

“I love my son to death, I love Nick, we’re all a pretty tight-knit family,” she said.

Reggie McGee was close with his cousins and would make a point to hang out with family as often as possible. He was always looking for ways to lend a helping hand.

“He was one of those guys that liked to read the instructions all the way through before he would tackle a project,” Gaila McGee said.

A good son, a good father and a good brother. Those were the words Gaila McGee repeated about her son Reggie after his death. She said she wants people to know Reggie was a person of good character.

“He kept his word, if he said he was going to do something, he did it,” Gaila McGee said.

The family has organized a GoFundMe to help with the costs of a double funeral service for Nicholas Lewis and Reggie McGee.

Any support goes a long way, Gaila McGee said. Beyond the GoFundMe, she asks for support through continued prayers.

“Pray, not just today, but continuously,” she said. “It will get harder as the days go along. … By the grace of God, we’ll get through this,” she said. “You just have to stay strong, stand on our faith.”