Cedar Rapids man fatally attacked with pipe; Bicyclist in Wellington Heights flees; Victim's sister points to 'beef'

By Alicia Ebaugh and Stephen Schmidt

The Gazette

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Cynthia Vaughn came last night to the street where her brother, Jerry Hurt, was attacked that afternoon, hoping to find the man who killed him.

"I wanted to ask him why he had to hit Jerry over the head with that pole," she said, tears welling in her eyes. "I wanted to see what kind of heart this man has that would do this to my brother for the dollar that was in his pocket."

Hurt, 46, of 1507 Washington Ave. SE, was walking on 14th Street SE toward Second Avenue about 3:15 p.m. when a man on a bicycle came up to him, police said. The man got off the bike, picked up a piece of pipe from the street and hit him in the head with it. Then he rode away.

Hurt was taken to St. Luke's Hospital, where he later died.

Vaughn, of Cedar Rapids, said witnesses told her the name of the man who attacked him. She said her brother had a "beef" with the man, who was an acquaintance of Hurt's through other friends, and that the man punched Hurt last week and stole his money. No one reported that assault, Vaughn said, because her brother didn't want to.

Tuesday afternoon, a chalk drawing outlined where Hurt fell, with a small pool of blood inside the round circle indicating his head. A crowd of neighborhood residents milled around the block as police conducted their investigation. Fourteenth Street was blocked off with crime scene tape, and a yellow tag marked where the pipe was thrown near the curb.

Later that night, Hurt's nieces and nephews gathered on the street with Vaughn and another sister, Annie Mullinex of Cedar Rapids, to console each other and remember their relative through laughter and tears. Hurt's mother, Daisy Hurt, was at home nearby still in shock over the news, they said.

"He was just getting his life back together, looking for a job," Vaughn said. "He loved his kids, he loved all kids, I never saw a man who played so much with them."

Police were still interviewing witnesses and possible suspects late Tuesday, said Sgt. Cristy Hamblin. They are looking for a black man, medium height with a medium build in his late 20s to early 30s, wearing a dark shirt and shorts and riding a mountain bike.

He was seen riding his bicycle from the area of the assault.

"We won't be able to classify his death as a homicide or something else until we know for sure who did this and why they did it," Hamblin said.

"One thing is for certain, though, that these types of attacks are hardly random. There is usually some link between the suspect and the victim."

Anyone who was in the area of Second Avenue and 14th Street SE about 3:15 p.m. and has information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-(800) CR-CRIME (272-7463).

If the information you have leads to an arrest, you may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000. Callers can remain anonymous.

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Jerry Hurt