Cedar Rapids Police release body-cam footage of shootout during standoff
By: Cedar Rapids, IA - Cedar Rapids Police have released body cam footage of a standoff that took place on February 19.
The standoff occurred when police attempted to serve Christopher Kern an arrest warrant.
Kern barricaded himself inside an apartment on Valor Way on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids.
He had been accused of breaking into a Des Moines animal shelter and stealing his dog.
During the standoff, Kern shot at officers, and they fired back at him.
No one was hurt.
Kern pleaded guilty to three charges of Attempted Murder of a Peace Officer.
He will spend 50 years in prison without the possibility of parole.
The body-cam footage consists of three separate clips.
Clip one is from a camera attached to a shield carried by a Cedar Rapids police officer. In this clip, Kern fires at officers, and officers return fire. After this, four more shots are heard. This is gunfire from Kern’s rifle as he continues to shoot at officers through the walls. Kern emerges briefly, and then fires at police again before retreating into the apartment.
Clip two is from a camera worn by a Cedar Rapids police officer. This clip covers the same sequence of events captured in clip one, but from a different viewpoint.
Clip three is from a camera worn by a Cedar Rapids police investigator. This clip captures the arrest of Christopher Kern. The footage also depicts Kern being given medical treatment before he is formally charged.