Marion teen charged with attempted murder after midday shooting

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Marion teen has been charged with attempted murder and other charges for shooting at two other teens Friday afternoon.

One of the teens was hospitalized after being hit at least once.

The shooting occurred at 12:19 p.m. at the BP gas station at 4141 Center Point Road NE. Responding officers found the victim, 18-year-old Kirsten L. Meyer, inside a black Ford SUV. Police said Meyer had been shot at least once. Also in the vehicle was 19-year-old Rodney Da Vas Burt, of Marion. Burt was not hit, but was apparently the shooter's target.

The shooter, believed to be 18-year-old Brandon D. Gordon, fled the scene after the shooting, but was apprehended a short time later.

Police believe that Gordon fired multiple rounds into the SUV. A witness at the scene reported hearing multiple shots while she was inside the neighboring Golden Nail Salon.

'We heard five or six shots,” she said.

Witnesses provided police a description of Gordon and the vehicle he was in. The vehicle was found in the 1100 block of Center Street NE and Gordon was arrested near the intersection of 32nd Street and Eastern Avenue NE about 30 minutes after the shooting.

Cedar Rapids public safety spokesman Greg Buelow said he did not have an update on Meyer's condition.

'She was transported with a serious injury,” he said.

Gordon now faces charges of attempted murder, a Class B felony; two counts of going armed with intent, a Class D felony; two counts of intimidation with a dangerous weapon, a Class C felony; and willful injury causing serious injury, a Class C felony. A Class B felony carries a potential sentence of 25 years in prison. Class C and Class D felonies carry 10 and 5 year sentences, respectively.

Police said the attempted murder charge is related to the shots fired at Burt, while the willful injury charge relates to the shooting of Meyer.

Buelow said the investigation is ongoing and he could not elaborate on the circumstances leading up to the shooting.

'Obviously, there was some type of ... familiarity between the suspect and Burt,” Buelow said. 'The factor os the matter is investigators believe ... Gordon was targeting Burt.”

While investigating the shooting, police said they found a suspicious package on the roof of Golden Nail Salon that prompted a response from the bomb squad. The suspicious package turned out to be a bag of merchandise alarms and accompanying cords that police believe were stolen and discarded onto the roof at an undetermined time.

As a safety precaution, four Cedar Rapids schools in the vicinity of the shooting were put on lockdown immediately following the shooting, said deputy superintendent Mary Ellen Maske. The lockdown on Kennedy High School, Harding Middle School and Pierce and Wright elementary schools was lifted once the district received word from the police that a suspect was in custody. Saint Pius X was also temporarily placed on lockdown