Indiana Man Charged with Attempted Murder in June C.R. Shooting

On June 25, 2021 at approximately 9:30 a.m., the Cedar Rapids Police Department (CRPD) responded to a call about a former Cedar Rapids man in Indiana who had reportedly been in an altercation with another man. On December 9, 42-year-old Damian Johnson was arrested in Gary, Indiana on outstanding warrants in Iowa and held for extradition

Johnson, according to a CRPD media release, was brought back to Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, January 11, and charged with the shooting and attempted murder of 46-year old Shawn Kelly.

Police say they were dispatched in June to the 5000 block of 1^st Avenue West for a report of shots fired. There was a verbal altercation reported between Johnson and Kelly, after which Kelly ended up at an undisclosed Cedar Rapids hospital with gunshot wounds to the leg that were reported as non-life-threatening.

The official list of charges against Damian Johnson includes Attempted Murder, Willful Injury, Going Armed with Intent, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Johnson remains in custody at the Linn County jail.

Police say the verbal altercation and ensuing shots fired incident involved a dispute over Kelly's estranged wife. If convicted on the attempted murder charge, Johnson could face up to 25 years in prison, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

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