MARION, Iowa (KCRG) – A Marion Police officer shot and killed an 18 year-old man who officers said had advanced on them with a machete Wednesday morning. Marion police responded to the 4100 block of Deer Valley Drive around 7:50 a.m. Wednesday. Police said the 18 year-old man had asked a neighbor to call police so he could speak with an officer. Officers arrived and spoke with the 18 year-old and the neighbor for about 3 minutes. At that time, the man pulled out a machete and began advancing on officers. Police said the officers ordered the man to stop and used a taser but it was ineffective. One officer fired a single shot and the man stopped. Police say the man continued to resist as officers tried to arrest him but the man quickly became unresponsive. Officers began CPR and called paramedics. The man was taken to a hospital where he later died. Police have not released the identity of the man but say he lived in the area of the shooting. Marion Police contacted the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation to investigate the officer-involved shooting and the officers involved have been placed on paid leave.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Linn County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a deputy was involved in a collision Wednesday night on Highway 100. The Cedar Rapids Joint Communications Agency said a wrong way driver crashed into the deputy. The sheriff’s office has not confirmed that detail. According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, the incident happened at the Cedar River Bridge, near Cedar Rapids. It was reopened to traffic after the left lane was closed earlier Wednesday night. It is unclear if anyone was hurt.
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau/KCRG) – The chair of the Des Moines School Board told Iowa lawmakers Wednesday that the board takes responsibility for hiring Ian Roberts as superintendent, but said Roberts misled board members and the consulting firm hired by the board did not share warnings about his citizenship status. ICE arrested Roberts, a citizen of Guyana, in September. Roberts later pleaded guilty to immigration and gun charges. Board Chair Kimberly Martorano shared findings from a private investigation into Roberts’ hiring process during a House Education Committee meeting Wednesday. The district hired JG Consulting firm, based in Texas, in 2023 to screen superintendent candidates. Martorano said the firm did not notify board members of immigration issues with Roberts. She acknowledged that the board knew Roberts had a prior gun charge in Pennsylvania but said he explained it as a misunderstanding. Republican Representative Jeff Shipley questioned the district’s decision. “If I had this on my record, you wouldn’t even let me in but Superintendent Roberts has it on his record you hire him,” Shipley said. Board members said they are seeking litigation against JG Consulting and will conduct their own separate background checks on future applicants using E-Verify. Senate Republicans have proposed a bill that would require immigration status checks on all school employees in the state…