Shots fired, violent crime in Cedar Rapids up in first half of 2016

CEDAR RAPIDS — At a news conference in late March after a deadly weekend that saw a 15-year-old and 21-year-old shot and killed in separate incidents, Carletta Knox-Seymour summarized the thoughts of many Cedar Rapidians.

'We're sick of it,' she said at the time. 'We're tired of this.'

Three months later, Knox-Seymour — a local business owner — said that sentiment remains. From her home on J Street SW, Knox-Seymour said she frequently hears the sound of police and ambulance sirens.

'There has been, I think, a huge increase in that,' she said. 'It's not every day, it's not every night, but it is often. That has become worrisome.'

Indeed, gun violence remains a prominent issue in Cedar Rapids. According to crime statistics from the Cedar Rapids Police Department, there were more shots fired incidents during the first half of 2016 than the first six months of any previous year.

Overall, the number of violent crimes in Cedar Rapids is up 6.5 percent, with 180 incidents reported in the first six months of this year, compared with 169 incidents during the same time last year.

Shots fired

According to police data, there have been 50 shots fired incidents during the first six months of 2016. The first half of 2015 saw 41 shots fired calls and there were 46 such incidents through June of 2014.

Shots fired incidents - cumulative counts each month for recent years

Data from CRPD. Chart by John McGlothlen / The Gazette

That leaves Cedar Rapids on pace to hit 100 shots fired incidents for the second year in a row.

'It is concerning because there are still a large number of people who are still engaging in this sort of activity that is not only illegal, but is an activity that needs to cease,' said Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman.

Jerman attributes some of the shooting to ongoing disputes between feuding groups of teens and young adults. While many of the incidents have simply led to property damage, gun violence has claimed three lives this year. Other incidents include, but are not limited to, a midday shooting near a church parking lot and a drive-by shooting that left a 32-year-old woman injured.

Yet, a breakdown of those numbers add more to the story. More than half — 66 percent — of this year's shots fired incidents occurred in the first three months of the year. The shooting deaths occurred in February and March.

The last three months have seen 17 shots fired incidents. Jerman pointed out there were six shooting incidents in June, down from 11 in June 2015.

'That's fantastic,' he said.

Jerman attributes part of the decrease to the work of the Police Community Action Team, which went operational on Jan. 9. The PCAT initiative involves a five-officer team focusing its efforts on crime trends and quality-of-life issues. Much of their work involves foot patrols, gathering information and interacting with citizens.

'You give them a few weeks and now they are really in a great operating mode with everything they've been doing,' Jerman said. 'Their efforts are clearly now paying off.'

Jerman also praised the department's partnerships with the FBI's Safe Streets Task Force, the United States Attorney's Office and the Linn County Attorney's Office.

More community members are coming forward and offering information to aid investigations, Jerman said.

'That leads directly to our ability to build strong cases that can be given to prosectors,' he said.

Cedar Rapids police have made 12 arrests in connection with the gunfire incidents in 2016, with charges ranging from discharging a firearm within the city limits to attempted murder and murder. Both juveniles and adults have been arrested.

Homicides

There have been three homicides in the first half of 2016, one more than in the first six months of 2015. The first homicide of the year happened on Feb. 23 at the Cedar Valley Townhomes, 3000 J St. SW. When police responded to reports of gunfire in the area, they found 25-year-old Joseph P. Perkins dead from a gunshot wound. A 21-year-old was also shot and injured.

No arrests have been made in that case, which remains open.

'We don't have any further information to release,' Jerman said.

Senquez Jackson, 15, died on March 19, the day after police said he was unintentionally shot by 13-year-old Dennis Warren. Warren was arrested in April on charges of involuntary manslaughter, carrying weapons, preventing apprehension and obstructing prosecution.

The same day Jackson died, 21-year-old Brandon Johnson was shot and killed during a brawl on Maplewood Drive. A 16-year-old was also shot and injured during that incident, which was not related to the Jackson shooting. Another teen, 16-year-old Kenyauta Vesey-Keith, was arrested and has been charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in that case.

The other violent death of the year occurred in late March. The Cedar Rapids Fire Department responded to a condominium fire at 1218 Oakland Road NE at 2:42 a.m. March 31 and pulled 62-year-old Robyn Furmanski from the burning unit. Furmanski died of her injuries and her death was ruled a homicide when the State Medical Examiner's Office determined she died of blunt force head injuries, smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.

An investigation led police to 43-year-old Onyala V. Hughes, an associate of Furmanski's who has now been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree arson and first-degree robbery.

Violent crime and other offenses 

The 6.5 percent increase in violent crime — which includes homicides, sexual abuse, robbery and aggravated assault offenses — can be attributed almost exclusively to a 39 percent increase of reports of assault while using or displaying a dangerous weapon, which rose from 31 reports in the first half of 2015 to 43 reports during the same time this year.

Statistics also show a 9.6 percent increase in burglary reports for the first half of the year, going from 396 to 434. Thefts from vehicles — a crime police have repeatedly warned citizens about in recent years — have fallen 30.5 percent, with 226 reports this year, down from 325 through June 2015.

'I would like to think that our efforts of putting out the outreach message of ... locking your vehicles and removing items of value have led to this significant decrease,' Jerman said. 'This is very encouraging.'

A public health response?

Knox-Seymour is a member of a local advocacy group, 1 Strong, that has asked the Cedar Rapids City Council to look at the gun violence in the city as a public health issue. Such an effort was done in Wilmington, Delaware, by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in the last few years. Knox-Seymour said she is hopeful a study would help citizens understand the risk factors that fuel gun violence in the city.

Jerman said he has spoken with Linn County Public Health and is meeting with state public health officials in Ankeney later this month to discuss 1 Strong's proposal.

'It's still a work in progress,' he said.

Kathy Maddigan, who lives off Mount Vernon Road, said she knows gun violence can strike anywhere in the city.

'I don't think anybody is insulated from the gun violence, no matter where you are in Cedar Rapids,' she said.

That said, Maddigan said she appreciates the ongoing efforts of police and does not feel at risk.

'I feel safe in my home,' she said. 'Definitely.'