Cedar Rapids man pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 2022 H-Bar shooting
A Cedar Rapids man has pleaded guilty for his role in the fatal 2022 shooting outside an Iowa City bar.
Antonio Scotton, 21, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and riot for his role in the October 2022 shooting outside of H-Bar near downtown Iowa City that killed 36-year-old Waymond Thomas.
Scotton also agreed to pay $150,000 in restitution as part of the plea.
The plea deal includes an admission from Scotton about his actions on the night of Oct. 23, 2022.
Scotton, according to the plea, "unintentionally caused the death of another person" and "willingly joined an assembly of three or more persons that were gathered in a violent and disturbing manner and using unlawful force against another person."
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Shooting was result of previous altercation
According to initial criminal complaints, police said that Thomas confronted Scotton "about an earlier assault" outside of the bar. Court documents said Thomas then swung at Scotton.
An altercation ensued, with Thomas and a friend "physically fighting" with Scotton and his friend, according to police. Thomas' friend allegedly dropped a gun during the scuffle.
Scotton allegedly picked up the weapon and began firing as Thomas and his friend fled the scene.
Police said Thomas was struck by a bullet and died of his injuries.
The maximum punishment for each of the two Class "D" felony charges is five years in prison.
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H-Bar came under scrutiny from Iowa City officials
The 220 S. Van Buren Street bar quickly endured a bit of pushback in the wake of the shooting, the second similar incident in three months in 2022. Police found a woman outside the building in August 2022 suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Iowa City officials and the bar owners later agreed to a deal that limited the bar's hours and allowed the Iowa City Police Department to enter the property at any time for "community caretaking functions."
In March 2023, a judge found the owners of the bar in violation of the agreement on four counts for staying open past the agreed-upon 2 a.m. curfew, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported.
The Press-Citizen reached out to the number listed for H-Bar, but the call went unanswered Monday.
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Two others charged in 2022 incident
Kendel Thompson, 22, pleaded guilty to participation in a riot in connection to the 2022 shooting. He was sentenced to two years probation with a five-year suspended sentence attached.
If Thompson violates the terms of his probation, he will be forced to serve five years in prison, minus any time previously served. Thompson admitted in his plea agreement that he participated in a riot on the night of Oct. 23, 2022.
Tramon Robinson, 25, was also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon after police said it was his gun that was dropped and subsequently used in Thomas' killing.
A trial date has not yet been set in Robinson's case.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Man pleads guilty for 2022 killing in Iowa City