Cedar Rapids police investigate robbery, shooting at apartment complex

Officials are investigating an early-morning robbery Wednesday that involved a bullet grazing a man's head inside an apartment complex near Westdale Mall.

Police responded to a “trouble unknown” call around 3:49 a.m. Wednesday at 3923 21

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Avenue Place SW, in the Westdale Court complex. Dalton Jones, 19, of Cedar Rapids said he, 18-year-old Marcus Jasa and 19-year-old Brandon Toepfer were visiting Keaton Young, 18 and Curtis Kelley, 19, who live in the apartment, when he heard a knock at the door.

Jones said he walked downstairs to the door, and thought he recognized one of the men through the peephole and began to open the door. “As soon as I heard the ‘click,' [from the door lock] they barged in,” Jones said.

The commotion alerted Jones' friends. He said around three men came up the stairs and ordered the five of them to get on the ground. Jasa said they told them to “give us all your money and cellphones, empty your pockets.”

The group of friends told The Gazette they had just paid rent and didn't have any money. “If you're looking for money, this is the wrong place,” Kelley said after the incident.

The men said they didn't give the intruders any cellphones or money. Jones said one of the men then fired a gun, and the bullet grazed the top of his head. He said he began to bleed and people started yelling, one of them asking, “Why did you shoot?” The invaders then left, leaving with a television.

Shortly thereafter, Jones said he jumped into his vehicle, called the police and drove himself to Mercy Medical Center around 4 a.m. He said he spent about an hour at the hospital, and received a couple of stitches.

“I still have ringing in my ears,” Jones said.

The friends spent most of the day searching for suspects in the early morning incident. They said they started searching social media for the man Jones said he recognized, as well as information from an anonymous tip. The friends said they believe they know at least some of the intruders, but do not have any idea why they were targeted.

The tenants said there has been discussion about moving out of their current apartment due to Wednesday morning's incident, but nothing has been set in stone. Looking around the two-bedroom dwelling, there didn't appear to be any noticeable damage, but Jones said police did recover a shell casing.

Sgt. Cristy Hamblin confirmed there was a shot fired inside the apartment and a television was reported taken. Sgt. Hamblin added a white man and two black men are described as possible offenders in police reports, but no arrests had been made.

“It would be nice to see them in jail,” Young said. 

The incident remains under investigation.

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