Deputy testifies he thought he was dying after robbery suspect shot him

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Linn County Sheriff’s deputy testified Friday he reached for the robbery suspect’s arm to detain him, but the man pulled away, took out a gun and started firing.

Deputy William Halverson said he realized he had been shot. He didn’t know how many times.

“It felt like a hundred times,” he said, tearing up, recalling that he thought, “This isn’t a dream. This is real life.”

Halverson, responding to a robbery call at the Casey’s General Store in Coggon on June 20, 2021, said he felt intense pain.

He said he kept thinking, “This is what it’s like to be shot. This doesn’t happen to people. Just on TV, But it was happening to me.”

Halverson and two former Casey’s employees testified on the first day of testimony in the trial of Stanley Donahue, 38, of Chicago, who is accused of two counts of first-degree robbery, attempted murder of a peace officer, two counts of false imprisonment, willful injury, attempt to elude, disarming a peace officer, trafficking in stolen weapons and possession of a firearm as a felon.

Donahue was arrested 14 hours after the robbery when a TV news crew spotted him walking along a highway.

Peter Stiefel, Donahue’s attorney, said during his opening statement that he plans to show there is reasonable doubt that Donahue is the robber. An expert witness also will be called to testify as to the reliability of eyewitnesses.

Deputy testimony

Halverson, during his testimony, said he first walked up to the store to see if he could see anyone inside. There was no clerk at the register, but he did see a Black man with a garbage bag thrown over his shoulder near the front door. The man was wearing a hoodie, but he saw his face, he said.

He said he planned to detain the man until he found out what was going on. Halverson said he reached for the man’s arm and told him to turn around. That’s when the man pulled away and starting firing a gun.

Halverson was shot seven times in the leg and hip, Assistant Linn County Attorney Molly Anderson said in her opening statement. The deputy recovered and has returned to duty.

A surveillance video played during Halverson’s testimony showed the shooting and the deputy falling to the floor. Halverson said he fell “face first” just inside the front door.

“I had stars in my head … kind of dazed,” Halverson said.

He said he tried to move his leg but couldn’t feel his legs and wondered if he was paralyzed.

Halverson said he then felt “tugging” on his right side where his .40 caliber Glock was holstered and felt it being removed.

Halverson said he told the man, “Please don’t kill me,” as he looked into the man’s eyes. He thought the suspect left the store at that point.

Halverson said his body camera malfunctioned and didn’t record the encounter.

But he had his radio and was yelling for help. He said he was “dazed and confused” and, without realizing it, pushed the radio’s orange button that sends out a “code 1” — meaning officer needs assistance.

Halverson also said over the radio to tell his wife and kids that he loved them. He believed he was going to die.

Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks asked Halverson if he could identify the man who shot him.

Halverson said it was Donahue and identified him in court.

Employees testify

In earlier testimony, Jacob Christianson, 22, and Maddie Stepanek, 19, both former Casey’s clerks who were working the night of the robbery, also identified Donahue as the robbery suspect.

Christianson said he was stocking cups and lids when a man came into the store. He greeted him, but the man didn’t say anything and went to the bathroom. The man was wearing a black hood over his head and Christianson couldn’t see his face.

Christianson said he went to the kitchen and told Stepanek something was going to happen and to “stay down.“ He saw the suspect’s van, which was the same one a co-worker from an earlier shift had left a note about.

Christianson was at the register preparing “safe drops” — stacking money from the register with a clip and receipt that, if pulled, can trigger a silent alarm.

The suspect brought a chocolate milk to the register and paid for it, then pulled out a small, black pistol and told Christianson to “give me the money.”

Christianson pulled out the dollar bill that triggered the alarm and started laying out the money for the suspect. The suspect also told him to empty the second register, which only had change.

Donahue took numerous cigarette cartons, gift cards, car chargers and other items in front and in back of the front counter by the registers. He took Christianson’s wallet and Stepanek’s purse.

He told Christianson to go get Stepanek, but Christianson told her to call 911 before she came out of the kitchen, which she did. Donahue then came into the kitchen and ordered the two into the store’s cooler.

The trial resumes at 9 a.m. Monday.

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