Suspect in custody in Linn deputy shooting at Coggon Casey’s

COGGON - An overnight manhunt for an assailant authorities say shot and wounded a Linn County deputy responding to armed robbery at a Casey’s General Store ended quietly Monday afternoon after a TV news crew spotted the suspect walking less than a mile away.

The deputy, whose name was not released, was described as in serious but stable condition despite being struck with several rounds by the robber. This marked the first time in nearly five decades -- since 1973 -- that a Linn County deputy was shot in the line of duty, said sheriff’s Second Deputy Chad Colston.

Authorities identified the gunman as Stanley L. Donahue, 36, of Chicago. He faces charges of attempted murder, first-degree robbery, willful injury, disarming a peace officer and possession of a firearm as a felon, the sheriff’s office said. He was being held in the Linn County Jail.

Illinois public records shows Donahue had spent time in prison for a criminal history that includes cases for drug possession, unlawful vehicular invasion, aggravated vehicular hijacking with a weapon, aggravated battery and aggravated robbery.

“This was a tragic and needless shooting that resulted in serious injuries to one of our deputies who was merely doing his job to protect the citizens of Linn County,” Sheriff Brian Gardner said in a statement just before Donahue was captured.

According to the sheriff’s office, the shooting and manhunt began when the deputy responded shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday to an alarm about a robbery in progress at the Casey’s at 5110 Highway 13, on the southeast edge of Coggon, a town of about 700 people roughly 25 miles north of Cedar Rapids. The deputy entered the front door and was "immediately met by an armed suspect trying to leave the store,“ the sheriff’s office said.

“The suspect fired multiple times and the deputy was struck by multiple rounds from the armed suspect,” the sheriff’s office said. The deputy was flown by air ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Colston said a clerk was inside when the robbery occurred, but no customers. The clerk was not injured. The Casey’s website shows the Coggon location is open until 11 p.m.

The suspect fled north in a van. Another deputy arriving in the area spotted the van and gave chase, following it until it crashed into a bridge under construction on Third Street N on the north edge of town.

The suspect than ran away from the crash, triggering a manhunt that lasted through Monday afternoon. The sheriff’s office said several law enforcement agencies and K-9 units, as well as drones, were involved in the search.

A Linn County police dog was able to track the suspect’s scent northeast of the Coggon area, but lost the scent near Aldrich Road, north of Highway 13.

Monday morning, the sheriff’s office publicly released Donahue’s photo and name and said he was being sought as a “person of interest” in the case.

About 12:40 p.m., a KCRG-TV news crew spotted a man matching that description and alerted authorities.

“Law enforcement arrived shortly after and took Donahue into custody,“ she sheriff’s office said. He was captured “without incident” near Aldrich Road and Highway 13, authorities said.

In a tweet, Sehriff Gardner attributed the arrest to “outstanding efforts by multiple agencies,” that “resulted in this person being taken into custody without further violence.”

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This person of interest has been taken into custody. More details will be released soon. https://t.co/DEVLfyVH1o

— LinnCountySheriff (@LinnIASheriff) June 21, 2021