Cedar Rapids man shot in stomach while reaching for son

UPDATE: Police said a man was shot in the stomach early Thursday morning in Cedar Rapids.

Officers responded around 1 a.m. to 1731 Sixth Ave. SE for a report of gunshots. While en route, they learned a man had a gunshot wound.

Lt. Kenneth Washburn said the man was shot once, and his injuries were not considered life threatening. The man was taken to Mercy Medical Center for treatment. He was listed in stable condition Thursday.

Police have not released the man's name, but a member of his extended family told SourceMedia Group the victim is a teenager named Tracy Traylor.

Andrew Miller, who lives at the house where the shooting happened, said Traylor was in front of the residence, reaching to grab his two-week-old son from the boy's mother, when he was shot on the left side of his abdomen.

Miller, whose fiancee's sister is the mother of Traylor's son, said he woke up to the gunshot and saw two people running away. He said he got Traylor inside and called 911.

“He was bleeding on my living room floor,” Miller said. “I had to grab a towel and put it over the bullet hole.”

A car sped off a few seconds after the shooting, and police found it abandoned a few blocks away, according to Miller.

Traylor was shot at Friday, too, but the bullet missed him, Miller said. He said Traylor got into a fight with another man last week, and believes the shooting was retaliation.

“They said they were going to come back to kill him” after the initial fight, Miller said.

No arrests have been made in the case. Police said the description of the shooter was vague, but they hoped to gather more information and release it to the public later Thursday morning.

An investigation was continuing.