Cedar Rapids teen pleads to shooting 17-year-old during basketball game last year

CEDAR RAPIDS — A 16-year-old Cedar Rapids boy charged as an adult pleaded guilty Monday to lesser charges for shooting a 17-year-old last year during a basketball game in a Marion park.

Antonio Ranulfo Juarez-Luna, originally charged with attempted murder, pleaded in writing to intimidation with a dangerous weapon, willful injury resulting in bodily injury, going armed with intent. and use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime.

Juarez-Luna faces up to 22 years in prison, but he is being prosecuted as a youthful offender and will likely be sent to the State Training School in Eldora until he turns 18. He will then be sent back to district court and a judge will decide whether to release him or sentence him to probation or prison to serve the remainder of his term, depending on how he does in the school.

His sentencing hearing is set for Dec. 17.

Juarez-Luna fired 11 times at the teenage victim

On Aug. 5, 2023, witnesses at Hanna Park, including the 17-year-old who was shot, identified Juarez-Luna as the individual who retrieved a firearm from a bag and fired 11 times at a teen identified as “C.W.,” striking him four times in his legs, hip and foot, according to the criminal complaint.

The 17-year-old had fractures to his fibula, metatarsal and cuboid — foot — bone and wounds to his left hip and foot.

The shooting happened during a fight over a basketball game and Juarez-Luna — who was 15 at the time — shot at C.W., who was among the other participants in the game, the complaint stated. Juarez-Luna was moving at C.W. while shooting at him and continued to shoot at him after C.W. fell.

During a waiver hearing last year, 6th Judicial Associate District Judge Angie Johnston said there were many aggravating factors alleged in this case: Juarez-Luna was the only teen involved in the dispute that day who had a gun; the shooting occurred during the middle of day at a public park during a basketball game; he fired 11 times and continued to fire at the victim after he fell to the ground; and another person had to take Juarez-Luna’s gun from him to stop the shooting.

Johnston also said Juarez-Luna’s mother picked him up after the shooting and didn’t contact law enforcement immediately but instead attempted to get rid of the gun by giving it to another minor. Juarez-Luna also hadn’t been attending school and admitted to smoking, drinking alcohol and not listening to his parent.

Johnston pointed out that this shooting wasn’t an accident, nor was it a self-defense situation — none of the others at the game were armed and “even if there was a reasonable belief that they were, to continue to shoot after the victim was on the ground takes it out of the realm of reasonable force.”

Shooter’s mother sentenced to probation

Juarez-Luna’s mother also was charged following the 2023 shooting. Miriah Juarez-Hernandez, 46, was arrested on charges of prohibited transfer/loan/rent of a firearm to unauthorized person, accessory after the fact, obstructing prosecution or defense, and transfer of pistol or revolver to person under 21.

Juarez-Hernandez admitted to police she drove her son and his friends back to Cedar Rapids after the shooting and that she gave the gun used in the shooting to another juvenile to hide, according to a Marion Police Department news release. Police later found the gun at the juvenile’s home.

In May, Juarez-Hernandez received a deferred judgment and two years of probation for prohibited transfer of a weapon and accessory after the fact.

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com