Officer testifies Cedar Rapids man told police the victim shot him, but didn’t mention he also was armed

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids police testified Thursday about the crime scene and evidence found outside a northeast side apartment complex Oct. 5, 2023, when they discovered a DoorDash delivery driver and customer fatally shot, and another man with severe gunshot injuries.

Officer Austin Bailey testified police received numerous 911 calls about a shooting in the parking lot of The Pointe Apartments, 3960 Sherman St. NE, just after 8 p.m. People reported hearing around 50 shots fired, he said.

When Bailey arrived at about 8:22 p.m., he found a man, Cameron Armad Leonard — who is on trial this week for fatally shooting the delivery driver — with multiple gunshot wounds. A second man, Leonard’s brother, Maurice Brown, and the delivery driver, Myron Snyder, were both lying in a “pool of blood.”

Both men were unconscious and not breathing. Bailey said they had “no signs of life.”

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Leonard is charged with first-degree murder, intimidation with a dangerous weapon, going armed with intent, use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime, and being a person ineligible to carry a dangerous weapon. Testimony started Wednesday and will continue into next week.

A prosecutor, in his opening Wednesday, said after Snyder, 21, of Cedar Rapids, delivered Brown’s order, the two got into a fight. Leonard approached the fight, drawing a 9 mm gun. After the fight, Snyder was trying to leave in his car when Brown drew a gun and started shooting at the car. Snyder, who also was armed, fired at Brown in self-defense, killing him.

Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said Wednesday Leonard then started firing at Snyder in his car and began “circling” the car as he reloaded and fired again. Snyder was shot six times.

Leonard, according to the defense opening, is claiming he acted in self-defense and in defense of his brother.

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Bailey testified he saw a black and tan Taurus 9 mm gun, which belonged to Snyder, and an investigator found a revolver, which belonged to Brown. They didn’t find Leonard’s gun until later.

After the shooting, Leonard told Bailey that Snyder shot him, but he gave no other details. He didn’t tell the officer that he also had a gun and that he shot Snyder.

Bailey said another man, Pierre Morrow, who later was identified as the stepfather of Brown and Leonard, also was at the scene. Morrow is charged in the case for taking Leonard’s gun and hiding it from police.

When he was interviewed by police, Morrow was “oddly calm” and wouldn’t answer the officer’s questions about what happened, Bailey said. Morrow turned away from him and walked off, the officer testified.

Video taken from Bailey’s body camera showed the scene was chaotic when police arrived. There were neighbors in the parking lot, and Brown’s and Leonard’s family members were yelling and screaming and refused to move back for police, who were trying to protect the scene.

Evidence at the scene included guns, casings, blood, shoe prints

Police Investigator Martin Eganhouse testified Snyder and Brown were found on the ground outside Snyder’s Ford Focus. The driver’s side door was open and a black revolver was lying near Brown’s right hand. The gun’s hammer was cocked back, ready to fire with a bullet in the chamber.

The black and tan Taurus gun was found by Snyder. The magazine for the gun was found on the opposite side of the car and it was empty.

Eganhouse identified numerous photos of shell casings and fragmented bullets all around Snyder’s car and farther out in the parking lot. He also pointed out bullet damage to the car’s side, rear, front end, and windows. Casings were found in front of the apartment building where Brown lived, on the sidewalk and grassy area.

There was one photo of the inside of the building that showed the DoorDash delivery bag of chicken wings and a drink, sitting on the floor in front of Brown’s apartment door. Eganhouse said it was undisturbed.

A summary list of casings found at the scene showed 11 casings came from Snyder’s gun and 13 from Leonard, Eganhouse said.

A shoe pattern matching the Crocs Leonard was wearing was found on the driver’s side door of Snyder’s car and on a rear door. The pattern was upside down, which meant Leonard had his back to the door and must have made a “donkey kick” to the door, Eganhouse said.

Eganhouse also identified several photos of clothing taken from Brown, Snyder and Leonard which showed blood from gunshot wounds and bullet holes in some of the clothing items.

Two criminalists from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation testified about the firearms and DNA evidence.

Kristin Hart, a criminalist with DCI’s firearms and tool marks section, testified bullets found in Snyder’s chest and in his body bag came from a black Taurus 9 mm, which belonged to Leonard.

Snyder’s black and tan Taurus 9 mm fired the bullet found in the left side of Brown’s chest, she said.

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Aislinn Chamber, a criminalist with the DCI’s DNA section, said the blood found on the grip of Brown’s revolver, on the entry sidewalk to the apartment, and on a landscape rock matched Brown’s profile.

The blood found on the base of a magazine and Snyder’s front hood, trunk and rear license plate matched Leonard’s profile. The base of the magazine also had a minor contributor but it was insufficient for a profile.

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