Names released of Cedar Rapids officers involved in News Year’s Day shooting

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has released the names of five Cedar Rapids police officers who were involved in a shooting on Jan. 1.

The officers — Graham Campshure, Loren Culver, Christopher Hettinger, Jonathan McDowell, and Dylan Hall — all shot at Michael Griffin, 20, of Cedar Rapids, after he led them on a car chase while shooting at officers, according to the DCI. Griffin was found dead in his car after the officer-involved shooting.

The car chase started after police were called to investigate a drive-by shooting at 414 Longwood Drive NE, Cedar Rapids at about 6:30 a.m. Griffin had talked with the occupants of the house that morning, threatening them with a gun and demanding they tell him where someone was. After he left, a car drove by and someone in the car shot toward the house, according to court records.

Police located a car matching the description they’d been given by witnesses and attempted to pull it over. The car fled and at one point during the chase, a juvenile who had been a passenger in the vehicle got out and was taken into custody. The juvenile told police Griffin was driving the car and was armed with an AR-15. Griffin shot at police out the windows of his car while leading them on the chase, court documents state.

Officers eventually stopped the car with a PIT maneuver in the 5600 block of Mount Vernon Road SE. As the officers approached the vehicle, they heard a gunshot and, thinking that Griffin was shooting at them, they all responded with gunfire. After the shooting, Griffin was found dead in the vehicle, according to court records.

All five involved officers are on administrative leave while the shooting is under investigation.

The DCI, which is investigating the chase and the officer-involved shooting, has not released information about how many times Griffin was shot, or how many rounds were fired by each officer.

“All five officers are cooperating with the investigation. Upon completion of the investigation, the facts and circumstances will be provided to the Linn County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office for review,” a DCI news release states.

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