Police: Student injured in shooting may have been caught in crossfire

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - A Mount Mercy University student is recovering from injuries he received in a shooting near the college’s Cedar Rapids campus Thursday afternoon.

Police responded to the scene near the intersection of Elmhurst Drive at Hazel Drive Northeast shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday. Police said the unidentified 21-year-old victim may have been caught in the crossfire of gunfire exchanged between two or more shooters. The victim was taken to a local hospital for a non-life threatening gunshot wound to his arm.

The university went into lockdown and sent an emergency alert to students and staff. Nearby Regis Middle School and Garfield Elementary School were placed in lockdown as well. The lockdowns were lifted after police gave the all-clear.

Home security video in the area captured sound of the shooting with more than a dozen shots fired. Neighbors said several homes and buildings were struck by bullets. Investigators are asking anyone with information or video surveillance footage in the area to call Cedar Rapids police at 319-286-5491.

Sources told KCRG-TV9 the victim in the shooting is a member of the Mount Mercy University cross country team. The student was running to practice at the time of the shooting. School officials say the student was hoping to run in the Heart of American Cross Country, the race for conference championships, on Saturday.

No arrests have been made in the shooting as police work to locate possible suspects.

No other information is being released at this time.

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