Cedar Rapids man charged with attempted murder in 2020 shooting

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Cedar Rapids man who pleaded guilty in 2021 to a 2020 robbery at a liquor store has now been charged with attempted murder in connection with a shooting 30 minutes before the robbery.

Dushaun Xavier Scott, 29, also is charged with willful injury — causing bodily injury, going armed with intent and control of a firearm by a felon.

Police said in December 2020 that Scott could face charges for the shooting, which took place on Nov. 5, 2020, but he was not officially charged until Feb. 22 of this year due to delays related to the other robbery charge.

Scott approached a man standing on the front porch of a residence in the 400 block of 18th Street SE just after 10 p.m. on Nov. 5, 2020 and asked the man for a job, according to police. He then produced a handgun, fired two shots at the man and fled. One of the bullets struck the man in the upper thigh., police said.

Investigators recovered two shell casings from the scene that were entered into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network and later matched to a handgun found in Scott's possession following the liquor store robbery.

A half-hour after the shooting, Scott walked into Smokin’ Joe’s liquor store at Mount Vernon Road SE and robbed it at gunpoint. He pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm on June 10, 2021, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

He was brought back to Linn County Jail on Feb. 28 of this year, and made his initial appearance for the attempted murder charge on Tuesday.

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