Residents living near Mount Mercy describe shooting of student athlete

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - A doorbell camera caught dozens of shots being fired near Mount Mercy University on the Northeast side of Cedar Rapids Thursday.

Police say a 21-year-old was caught in the crossfire between 2 or more shooters on Elmhurst Dr. and Hazel Dr. Northeast around 4 PM Thursday. School leaders say the victim is a student and part of the cross-country team. School officials say the student was hoping to run in the Heart of American Cross Country, the race for conference championships, on Saturday.

“I was sitting in my living room and heard a bunch of pops,” said Traci Noethe, who lives near the campus. “I knew it wasn’t fireworks.”

Mount Mercy President Todd Olson said there will be more campus security, and police would add patrol in the area over the next few days. That means extra precautions for students who travel in the area.

“Our athletic facility is a few blocks south on Elmhurst, which is an area much traveled by students,” said President Olson. “We will make sure that there are adequate transportation resources and safety patrol along that corridor in particular.”

The student-athlete was taken to the hospital with what police described as a non-life-threatening injury to his arm. In this neighborhood, some residents couldn’t believe something like this would happen so close to home.

“It’s hard to imagine, I just thought it was very scary,” said Noethe.

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