CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Linn County attorney says the officers who fired their weapons after a high-speed chase and crash were justified and will not face any charges. The final report on the January 1 incident shows it started just before 6:30 a.m. when an officer saw 20-year-old Michael Griffin shooting at a home on Longwood Drive Southeast. The officer tried to stop him but says Griffin sped away, starting a chase. During the chase, Griffin fired at officers on two occasions. The county attorney’s report also says Griffin told the passenger in his vehicle and his mother over the phone he was prepared to die that morning. The chase ended on Mount Vernon Road Southeast. According to the county attorney’s report, “evidence shows Griffin used an AR-15 to shoot himself.” Hearing those gunshots in the vehicle prompted the five officers at the scene to fire their weapons. A Cedar Rapids police spokesman released a statement following the release of the final report on this incident: “The officers involved in the pursuit on January 1, 2024, displayed extraordinary courage and dedication to the citizens and the city they serve. They exercised tremendous restraint and commitment while taking action to protect innocent lives, the lives of fellow officers, and their own lives. They are to be commended for their bravery…”
TRAER, Iowa (KCRG) – Nearly three years after a man died from gunshot wounds to his face, the Tama County Sheriff’s Office arrested his wife. Karina Cooper faces a first-degree murder charge. Deputies and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation arrested her on Monday, Feb. 19. Ryan Cooper died at his home in the 1800 block of K Avenue in Traer on June 18, 2021. A criminal complaint shows Cooper was found lying in a reclining chair around 4:30 a.m. that day. The complaint goes on to show the Office of the State Medical Examiner determined Cooper was shot twice in the face. Documents show authorities removed Karina Cooper and her three children from the home so they could investigate. The complaint goes on to say “The investigation would continue with multiple search warrants and interviews in the many months following. Karina Cooper told two witnesses she wanted Ryan Cooper dead and could shoot him in the face.” The Tama County Sheriff’s Office says their investigation continues. They ask anyone with information to contact them at (641) 484-4111, or DCI at (515) 725-6010, or email dciinfo@dps.state.ia.us. A preliminary hearing for Karina Cooper is set for February 27th at 9 a.m. Bond is set at $1 million.
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (KCRG) – A Marshalltown middle school teacher has been arrested after allegedly assaulting a student last week. Officials say an investigation was initiated on February 13, 2024 after a 13-year-old reported that he had been assaulted by the teacher while in class the day before. 60-year-old Paul Miller was taken into custody over the weekend. He was charged with Assault causing Bodily Injury. Marshalltown Community School District officials confirmed that a “physical altercation in a classroom” occurred and that Miller was “no longer an employee of the district.”
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – Out of an abundance of caution, the City of Dubuque is notifying patients after a vendor hired by the city to analyze the Dubuque fire/ambulance services call data, inadvertently transferred patients’ personal information to another city vendor. The personal information was acquired as part of Dubuque Fire Department emergency medical responses between Sept. 10, 2023, and Dec. 18, 2023. They say the information was shared via a secured electronic transfer and not as part of a hack or cyber-attack. Data shared may have included an individual’s name, address and date of birth, Social Security number, driver’s license information, and protected health information. Officials say the information was immediately deleted by the receiving vendor once they discovered the mistake. The receiving vendor says that they’ve investigated and confirmed the data was not accessed by anyone before its discovery and deletion.
