Complaint: Victim in Cedar Rapids attempted murder case in ‘comatose state’

CEDAR RAPIDS — The victim of a shooting that led to a Cedar Rapids man being charged with attempted murder was taken off life support last week and “remains in a comatose state,” according to a criminal complaint.

Ray Robertson Jr., 34, was arrested Tuesday and charged with attempted murder, willful injury resulting in serious injury, possession of a firearm by a felon, use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime and person ineligible to carry a dangerous weapon.

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The charges are in relation to a shooting Feb. 7 near Jim’s Foods, 812 Sixth St. SW. Police were called to the area just before 1 a.m. Feb. 7 and found Robert Clark still breathing but with a gunshot wound in his forehead. Clark was taken to Mercy Medical Center, where it was discovered he also had been shot in his back.

Clark was transported to University of Iowa Health Care, where he was placed on life support. Life support eventually was removed, but Clark remained in a comatose state, the complaint states. It does not indicate how long Clark has been off life support.

Investigators determined through witnesses and video surveillance that Clark and Robertson had been at a residence less than a block from Jim’s Foods before the shooting. One of the witnesses reported seeing Robertson leaning over Clark, who was on the ground in an alley, where he was later found by officers. Video surveillance captured the sounds of an argument between two followed by three gunshots, the complaint states.

Another witness reported she had dropped Robertson off in the area before the shooting. Two days later, she said she met up with him at a truck stop in Evansdale and he asked her to take him out of town because of what had happened outside Jim’s Foods, according to the complaint.

Robertson was interviewed multiple times by officers and admitted to having a gun on him the day of the shooting. He told police he got high with Clark and then the two had a confrontation in which Clark swung at Robertson with an ax and called him a slur.

Robertson said he didn’t remember shooting at Clark, “but felt like he was responsible because there was no one else present in the alley,” the complaint states.

A warrant was issued March 31 for Robertson’s arrest and he was booked Tuesday into the Linn County Jail. He had his first appearance in court Wednesday and was being held on a cash-only bail of $500,000.

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