Cedar Rapids man sentenced to 25 years for 2021 hotel party shooting

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Cedar Rapids man, already serving prison time for a gun charge in Illinois, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for shooting into a crowd at a birthday party at a Cedar Rapids hotel in 2021.

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Quonie Shelton, 30, pleaded to four charges out of the 13 original charges filed by the prosecution. He pleaded to two counts of reckless use of a firearm causing serious injury to partygoers Calvin Cameron and Andre Banks. Each charge carries a 10-year prison sentence.

He also pleaded to two charges of reckless use of a firearm causing bodily injury to two other partygoers, a 13-year-old boy and Kala Richardson. Each charge is a five-year sentence but Shelton is a habitual offender — with two previous Illinois convictions — which makes each sentence 15 years.

During the plea hearing, Shelton admitted that he discharged a firearm into the crowd at the Oct. 1, 2021, birthday party that was in a conference room at the Ramada by Wyndham, 535 33rd Ave. SW. He also admitted that it was reckless behavior and he caused others to discharge firearms in response to his actions that night.

Sixth Judicial District Senior Judge Paul Miller immediately sentenced Shelton, who waived a presentencing report. Miller sentenced Shelton to 10 years for each reckless use of a firearm but ran them concurrently to the two 15 year sentences for a total of 25 years, in accordance with the plea agreement.

Miller also ran the Iowa sentences concurrently to the seven years Shelton is serving in Illinois of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Illinois has a “hold” on him — meaning he will be returned to Danville Correctional Center to serve out that sentence.

Shelton will then come back to Iowa to serve his 25 years. Running the Iowa and Illinois sentences concurrently allows Shelton to get some credit on his Iowa sentences while serving his Illinois time.

No victims attended the hearing, but one victim submitted a written impact statement to the court for consideration.

Shelton declined to make a statement during the hearing.

Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said he was pleased with the resolution in this case, but it wasn’t an easy one. Some of the victims and witnesses wouldn’t cooperate. It took some time to piece together the case in order to hold Shelton responsible.

Maybanks previously said he had been working in consultation with police and a warrant was issued for Shelton in March. Linn County sheriff’s deputies brought Shelton back to Cedar Rapids from the Danville prison on May 9.

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