DCI: Cedar Rapids police shot, killed armed man at domestic disturbance

CEDAR RAPIDS — Officers fatally shot an armed man at a domestic disturbance early Tuesday morning, according to a news release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

The man was identified Tuesday as 22-year-old William Isaac Rich, of Cedar Rapids.

Cedar Rapids officers were dispatched to the Inn Circle, 5560 Sixth St SW, at about 12:55 a.m. on Tuesday for a domestic disturbance, the news release states. While two officers attempted to detain Rich, he brandished a weapon and the officers fired their weapons. The type of weapon brandished was not specified in the release. Rich was prohibited from owning a gun after he pleaded guilty last week to a felony domestic abuse charge.

Rich died from injuries in the officer-involved shooting and an autopsy is scheduled with the Office of the Iowa State Medical Examiner. The officers were uninjured.

The Cedar Rapids Police Department notified the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation to request that they investigate the incident and, according to protocol, the officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the investigation.

The officers’ names will be released after an interview with the DCI.

Domestic abuse charge

Rich pleaded guilty on Aug. 22 -- about a week before he was shot -- to one count of felony domestic abuse assault. The next day he was given a suspended five-year prison sentence, meaning he was placed on probation until 2025, and would automatically be sentenced to five years in prison if he broke the regulations of his probation.

Rich was originally charged in that case with three counts of misdemeanor domestic abuse assault, along with the felony charge, but the misdemeanor charges were dropped as a part of the plea agreement. When the charges against Rich were first filed in May, a no-contact order was also filed on behalf of the victim of the domestic assault. The order was canceled in July at the request of the victim.

According to a criminal complaint, the assault that resulted in the domestic abuse charge happened on May 8 at Inn Circle, the same location as the officer-involved shooting Tuesday. The Inn Circle address was also listed as Rich’s residence in court documents. DCI agents declined to comment on whether the victim from Rich’s previous charge was involved in Tuesday’s incident.

The Inn Circle office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Inn Circle is an affordable housing location run by the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program.

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