Police charge Cedar Rapids teen in fatal shooting outside Iowa City hookah bar
Iowa City police have charged a Cedar Rapids teen in a fatal shooting outside a downtown hookah lounge in October 2022, the city's only homicide last year.
Police announced Monday in a news release that Antonio Scotton, 19, faces one count each of voluntary manslaughter and intimidation with a dangerous weapon for allegedly shooting and killing Waymond Thomas, 36, of Iowa City, on Oct. 23.
Both charges carry up to 10 years in prison upon conviction. Scotton was being held for Iowa City police in the Linn County Jail.
The complaint said the shooting occurred after Thomas and a friend confronted Scotton in an alley outside H-Bar at 220 S. Van Buren St. about an earlier assault. Thomas punched Scotton and a fight ensued, with a total of four people involved, it said.
During the fight, Thomas' friend dropped a gun and Scotton grabbed it and began firing, the complaint said. Thomas and his friend were running away when Thomas was fatally wounded, it said.
According to the complaint, at least one of the bullets Scotton fired hit the wall of H-Bar.
The release did not say why Scotton was charged with manslaughter instead of murder, and Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmerman-Smith did not elaborate on the severity of the charges. She said her office followed the evidence and guidelines within state code to come to the decision.
City cracks down on H-Bar after shooting
Since the shooting, H-Bar has faced increased scrutiny from Iowa City officials. The city sought to shut down the bar but its owners and the city attorney in December instead agreed on a court order requiring it to close immediately after 2 a.m. instead of staying open until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturdays, as it had before. The order also requires the owners to permit Iowa City officers to enter at any time during regular business hours to conduct "community caretaking functions."
Police also increased patrols around H-Bar. The petition said the city had unsuccessfully attempted to solve other ongoing issues with the owners. It said Iowa City police had received 173 calls for service at the bar from Jan. 1 to Oct. 26, 2022, as compared to 23 calls from 2016 to 2021. The bar opened Dec. 31, 2021.
Another person was injured by gunfire there in August.
George Shillcock is the Press-Citizen's local government and development reporter covering Iowa City and Johnson County. He can be reached at (515) 350-6307, [email protected] and on Twitter @ShillcockGeorge
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Cedar Rapids teen charged in fatal Iowa City shooting at hooka bar