Cedar Rapids officer hurt while making arrest

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Cedar Rapids police officer was struck in the hand by a projectile fired from a BB or pellet gun Wednesday morning while making an arrest, authorities said.

Police said that about 11:30 a.m., they were following up on a call in the 1500 block of Second Avenue SE. Someone had shot out several windows of a residence in that area with a BB gun or airsoft rifle, including an original stained glass window, according to a criminal complaint.

While investigating, an officer felt a projectile whiz by. Officers traced the source to a nearby home, but the occupant refused requests to open the door, authorities said.

After repeated attempts, police said, the department’s Special Response Team was called and entered the home on a search warrant. The man “fired a shot from a BB or pellet gun and struck an officer in the hand during the entry procedure,” police said in a news release.

The team “deployed less-than-lethal munitions” and the man was taken into custody. The man, Leo W. Bushnell, 36, faces charges of two counts of assault on a peace officer, second-degree criminal mischief, possession of an incendiary device and possession of drug paraphernalia. Police said they expect more charges to come.

Police believe it was Bushnell who shot out the windows of the house.

Police said they seized several BB guns and pellet guns, including a model capable of firing .22 caliber projectiles. They also found a homemade Molotov cocktail and a pipe used to smoke marijuana, the complaint states.