MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (KCRG) – Wednesday shortly before 4:30 p.m., Marshalltown law enforcement responded to the 600 block of East Church Street for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, responders discovered a 57-year-old woman suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Responders also found a 72-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment of a life-threatening injury. Officials recovered a firearm at the scene. They say the investigation is underway. Names of the involved parties are not being released at this time pending family notifications. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Marshalltown Police Department at 641-754-5725.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked an ATF rule restricting stabilizing braces. Stabilizing braces are an accessory on a weapon that allows the user to fire the weapon with one hand. In January, the ATF announced users would have to register the weapon or remove the equipment. “I’ve built many weapons and put them on there and modified them for a lot of folks,” said Michael Ware, owner of Controlled Chaos Arms in Baxter. The ATF said there were at least 3 million guns with stabilizing braces. “It helps people with poor hand strength, or veterans that are returning from combat that are not able to handle the longer style weapons,” he said. The full impact of the block wasn’t clear as it only applies to the plaintiffs of the lawsuit, but Ware said these pieces of equipment don’t make the gun more lethal. “Guns are already lethal because guns are lethal, to begin with,” he said. “What I’m saying is that it’s easier on the user, not more lethal.” It’s likely the Justice Department will appeal the fifth circuit’s ruling.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Des Moines teen convicted of killing the man she says raped her now wants Governor Kim Reynolds to pardon her. A judge issued a deferred judgment and probation for 18-year-old Pieper Lewis after she admitted to fatally stabbing a man she said raped her while she was being sex trafficked. But she broke her probation afterwards, and now faces up to 20 years in prison for this and her previous conviction. Lewis and her friends started an online petition urging the Governor to pardon her before sentencing later this month. She says she wants the chance to give back to the community that has offered her so much support throughout the entire process.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Police rescued a woman who they said was unconscious after a fire caused smoke to fill the second floor of an apartment building in Cedar Rapids early Wednesday morning. In a press release, officials said police officers nearby noticed smoke coming from the second floor of an apartment building in the 2200 block of C Street Southwest just after 4 a.m. Officers went inside and found a woman unconscious and pulled her from the building. The 40-year-old woman was taken to the hospital. There is no word yet on her condition. Firefighters responded and put out a fire in the bedroom of one of the apartments. Firefighters were able to ventilate the building. No one else was hurt, but the woman was displaced. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
