Cedar Rapids police are investigating three separate shooting incidents in the city in an 18-hour period over the weekend.
In the most recent incident, police are still looking for the man they say shot a young woman during a fight…it happened around 8:30 yesterday morning at Oakland Court and Gardens. Police say a 23-year-old woman was found shot and taken to a hospital. Her name and condition are not being released. Investigators believe the woman and a 24-year-old man were arguing when the man shot the woman. Police are treating this as a domestic incident.
In the first incident, Cedar Rapids Police say a gunshot victim showed up at a hospital around 3:45 Saturday afternoon. Investigators determined the shooting happened in the 600 block of 16th Avenue SW. Officers collected evidence including shell casings at that scene.
Only 12 hours after that, one person was killed in a shooting. Cedar Rapids police were called to the 100 block of Curtis Street Southwest in Cedar Rapids just before 4 o’clock yesterday morning. Officers found one victim in the area, who died at the scene. Authorities are not releasing any other information about this shooting.
A judge has set a new trial date and venue for the man accused of killing 20-year-old University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts. 26-year-old Cristhian Bahena Rivera has been charged with Murder in the First Degree in connection with the August 2018 killing. The prosecution and defense jointly filed a motion for a new trial date last month, citing a backlog of cases and the need for COVID-19 precautions. Judge Joel Yates Friday ordered a new venue and trial date: January 25, 2021 in Scott County. The trial had previously been moved to Woodbury County.
Authorities are investigating a weekend arrest in Dubuque after video posted on social media showed a handcuffed Black man having a seizure and apparently struggling to breathe after officers used pepper spray on him. Officials say an internal investigation will review the Friday night arrest of Yoosuf Moment. Police say Moment resisted officers before pepper spray was used. Moment was treated at a hospital and released after being charged with suspicion of driving without a valid license and interfering with police. Dubuque City Manager Mike Van Milligen said in a statement that officials are aware of concerns about the incident and a thorough investigation will be conducted.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson says the Iowa Department of Public Safety will hand over internal misconduct records to a federal grand jury investigating a trooper, after unsuccessfully fighting a subpoena for the material in court. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the department must comply with the subpoena, which seeks internal investigation records related to an officer who is under scrutiny for possible civil rights violations. The department had asked the courts to cancel the subpoena, saying it would have a chilling effect on internal investigations. A federal judge and the appeals court upheld the subpoena, saying the department failed to show it was unreasonable. The ruling doesn’t identify the officer under investigation.
As a result of Saturday’s severe weather, the City of Marion announced yesterday it will collect storm debris for free beginning today…collection will continue all week long. Homeowners with storm damage are asked to place the debris between the sidewalk and curb. The city will pick up tree damage and other debris during that time…residents can also drop off their tree debris at the Yard Waste Drop-Off Facility in Marion.
Due to Thursday’s severe storm in Cedar Falls, the city is having a yard waste pick-up day today. Resident are to fill their yard waste carts and have them by the curb this morning. If a resident has large debris from city trees, the city will pick them up separately; however, downed trees on personal property should be taken by the homeowner to the compost facility in the 300 block of East Main Street in Cedar Falls.
Iowa saw two rounds of severe storms Saturday, one round in the morning and the other in the afternoon and early evening. Wind gusts of 62 miles per hour were reported in Cedar Rapids, 70 in Anamosa, and 80 in Davenport. Hail was also common; hail three inches in diameter was reported in Norway, while folks in Walford had hail nearly that large.
The Iowa Department of Public Health confirmed 503 additional COVID-19 cases in Iowa in the 24-hour period ending yesterday midday. That means a total of 35,002 positive cases statewide since Iowa’s outbreak began. Iowa DPH reported one additional COVID-19 death for a statewide death toll of 749…the death rate of those who test positive, therefore, is only about 2 percent. In addition, 527 of the state’s deaths—70 percent—involved Iowans with preexisting conditions. And COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care facilities account for more than half, 53 percent, (396) of the state’s total deaths.
The number of women having abortions in Iowa climbed last year. After decades of lower abortion numbers, the state last year recorded 3,566 abortions, which is 8% more than the previous year. Last year’s increase came after the number of Iowa abortions had dropped 56% in the years from 2008 to 2018.
Cedar Rapids Police say two people were taken to the hospital after a high speed chase ended in a collision. It happened around 1:45 early Saturday morning on the southeast side of town. Authorities say during the pursuit, a car went off the roadway in the 300 block of 19th Street SE and wound up in the front yard of a home. Officers say the two inside the car had non-life threatening injuries. Investigators have not said what led to the pursuit.
The CEO and president of Make-A-Wish Iowa has been removed from her positions after “financial irregularities” were discovered within the nonprofit. The Executive Committee of the Make-A-Wish Iowa Board of Directors removed Jennifer Woodley after financial irregularities were discovered during an internal compliance review by the National Make-A-Wish Office. Woodley had been in the job since August of last year. Rachel Reams, Make-A-Wish Iowa’s vice president of mission delivery, will serve as the interim president and CEO. Make-A-Wish Iowa, located in Urbandale, works to grant the wishes of children with critical illnesses.
