Lang
11/8/23
An Iowa City man facing four attempted murder and other charges after a shooting in Muscatine has been acquitted on all counts.
A Muscatine County jury found 29-year-old Edward Smith Jr. not guilty on Tuesday.
The Muscatine Police Department responded to gunshots at the Cedar Park Apartments on Logan Street just before 9:45pm on May 4th. The preliminary investigation determined that multiple rounds had been fired across the parking lot, but no one had been hurt. An apartment building and a vehicle were struck.
Muscatine Police detectives were able to recover two firearms from the scene. One of the firearms recovered had previously been reported as stolen to another law enforcement agency.
As a result of the investigation, warrants were secured for Smith and 20-year-old Dejeion Moore of Rock Island. Smith was arrested on May 18th and charged with four counts of attempted murder, three counts of child endangerment, and one count each of intimidation with a dangerous weapon and trafficking in stolen weapons. If convicted on all charges, he would have faced a maximum of 122 years in prison.
Police are still looking for Moore, who is considered to be armed and dangerous.
After his acquittal, Smith was transferred to the Johnson County Jail, as he was wanted for failing to appear for a court date on a Driving While Barred charge.