Cedar Rapids police are asking for the public’s help in determining what transpired last Friday afternoon at an apartment building near Kirkwood Community College. Three people were injured by gunfire at the Kirkwood Court Apartments shortly after 12:30 p.m.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found 21-year-old Shannon Gaskins and 22-year-old Alexander White had both been shot in the torso. A third person, 24-year-old Raymond Sellers of Chicago, had left the scene before police arrived.
Police Sergeant Cristy Hamblin says Sellers had also been shot and caught a ride in a private vehicle to the hospital. “It’s a very active apartment complex with students coming and going quite often, so we’re hoping some students saw (Sellers) get into the car,” Hamblin said.
“We’re hoping some people in the neighborhood may’ve seen him leave and who he was with.” All three people who were shot were initially listed in critical condition. There’s no update on their current conditions, but authorities expect all will survive.
Investigators do not believe the public is in any kind of danger. “We have a good idea of what happened…we have the theory, but we don’t have the evidence to support our theory at this time,” Hamblin said. “That’s what we’re looking for is more evidence – hard, solid evidence – not just speculation.”
The shooting on Friday prompted the college and several nearby schools to go into “lockdown” mode.