Complaint: Second man arrested in fatal Cedar Rapids shooting may have been lookout

CEDAR RAPIDS — A man arrested this week in a fatal shooting in January may have acted as lookout for his cousin during the killing, according to a criminal complaint released Wednesday.

Jeremiah Coop, 22, of Cedar Rapids, arrested Tuesday, is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery. His cousin, Paris Diamond, 21, of Cedar Rapids, was arrested Feb. 3 and charged with first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, intimidation with a dangerous weapon and going armed with intent.

The two are accused in the Jan. 8 death of Mohamed Tawfik. Police responded to a shots fired call that evening and found Tawfik suffering from two gunshot wounds in a car that he’d apparently driven off the road in the 5600 block of Kirkwood Boulevard SW. Tawfik was taken to a hospital where he died.

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Tawfik had been texting Diamond before the shooting, and the two had arranged to meet at Eagle’s Point Apartments at 5504 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, where Tawfik would sell Diamond drugs, according to the complaint.

A witness at the apartment complex told police there was shouting between Tawfik and another man who approached Tawfik’s vehicle. After the shouting, Tawfik attempted to drive away but drove off the road nearby.

At the scene, police said they found an “SS” emblem that had fallen off a car. It matched the 2008 Chevrolet Impala SS registered to Diamond, which police found missing its emblem at the apartment where Diamond and Coop lived together. Police also found, in Diamond and Coop’s apartment, a pistol that matched the shell casings found in Tawfik’s vehicle, according to the complaint.

A witness described another individual at the scene of the crime who matched Coop’s description who appeared to be acting as a lookout near Tawfik’s vehicle. Cellphone data placed Coop at the crime scene at the time of Tawfik’s killing, the complaint states.

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