Police charge Cedar Rapids man in Ped Mall shooting investigation

The Iowa City Police Department has identified and charged Andre Roberts Jr. after police said he fired multiple shots from a handgun at the Ped Mall July 25.

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Katie Goodale

Iowa City Police Department vehicles are seen on July 9, 2019.

Sabine Martin, News Editor


The Iowa City Police Department has identified and charged the individual who police said fired multiple shots from a handgun in the Iowa City Pedestrian Mall last Sunday.

Iowa City Police identified Andre Roberts Jr., a 19-year-old from Cedar Rapids, in an investigation update posted Thursday afternoon.

A Hawk Alert shared at 1:14 a.m. on July 25 alerted currently enrolled students at the University of Iowa of reported shots fired on the Ped Mall outside of the Fieldhouse bar.

Roberts has been charged with attempted murder, person ineligible to carry dangerous weapons, intimidation with a dangerous weapon, and the use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime, Iowa City Police wrote in a release Thursday.

“A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Iowa City Police said in the release.

RELATED: Police investigating reported shots fired in Iowa City’s Pedestrian Mall

Roberts was booked in the Johnson County Jail Thursday afternoon on a combined cash bond for all charges of $75,000.

The incident remains under investigation as police work to identify others involved in the shooting, the release said.

“After further investigation, police determined a fight involving several people occurred in the alley by the Fieldhouse bar,” a press release shared by Iowa City Police on July 25 said. “One person fired several shots from a handgun into the crowd. A twenty-four-year-old female and a seventeen-year-old male were struck by the gunfire. They are believed to have non-life-threatening injuries.”