Iowa Attorney General: Trooper justified in Washington County shooting

WASHINGTON COUNTY - The Iowa Attorney General's Office has determined a state trooper who fired her weapon at a fleeing vehicle last month was justified.

In a letter to the Washington County Attorney's Office, Special Assistant Attorney General Scott Brown said he reviewed Trooper Jewel O'Rear's actions on Oct. 1 and found her actions did not violate any laws.

'At the time she discharged her weapon she felt a third party officer's safety was in jeopardy,” Brown wrote. 'Her belief was reasonable under the circumstances.”

The shooting occurred in a gas station after a chase that began on Interstate 380. The Iowa State Patrol was notified of a suspicious vehicle believed to be involved in retail thefts in the Cedar Rapids area. A trooper located the suspect vehicle - a Dodge Charger - driving southbound on Interstate 380 in Johnson County, and a chase ensued when the driver, later identified as 27-year-old Tiffany R. Reed, refused to pull over.

The chase continued to the Kalona/Lone Tree exit off Highway 218 in Washington County. Authorities said Reed, who had two other people in the vehicle with her, pulled into a gas station and hit a Johnson County Sheriff's Office squad car while trying to flee the gas station.

'At this time O'Rear believed other officer's safety was being jeopardized and she shot the rear tire of the suspect vehicle,” Brown wrote.

O'Rear's shot disabled the vehicle, and Reed and her passengers were taken into custody. Reed was charged with interference with official acts and two warrants for second-degree theft. Her passengers, 30-year-old LaFonda Davis and 22-year-old Tia Reed, were each charged with interference with official acts, according to the Department of Public Safety. All three women are from St. Louis.