Hunter
04/07/24
One person is dead and a bystander injured after an officer-involved shooting in Cedar Rapids.
According to a release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the incident unfolded just after 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Cedar Rapids Police received a 911 call from a suspect who requested an officer respond to his residence on 31st Street NE. A second 911 call came in from a male bystander, asking for a welfare check due to the suspect being armed and making homicidal and suicidal statements.
Arriving officers observed a weapon in the suspect’s hands, and ordered him to drop the weapon. Instead, the suspect raised the weapon in the officers’ direction. Three officers opened fire at the suspect, who was struck and fell to the ground.
Emergency responders were called in, but the man died at the scene. The male bystander was also hit and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of multiple gunshot wounds.
The suspect’s name has not been released, pending a death notification to next of kin and final autopsy. The male bystander has also not been identified.
The Cedar Rapids Police Department requested the Division of Criminal Investigation’s Major Crime Unit to conduct an investigation. The names of the three officers involved and additional facts surrounding the incident are not being released at this time.
The officers have been placed on critical incident leave pending the completion of the investigation.