IOWA CITY, Iowa — Five people, including three University of Iowa students, were wounded early Sunday, April 19, in a shooting near the Pedestrian Mall in downtown Iowa City. Officers were responding to a large fight in the 100 block of East College Street when they heard gunfire, and investigators are asking witnesses and people with video to help identify persons of interest.
University of Iowa shooting: what police say happened
The Iowa City Police Department said in its initial notice that officers responded at 1:46 a.m. to a report of a large fight, heard gunfire when they arrived and found multiple people wounded. The victims were taken to area hospitals, and no arrests had been announced in the city’s Sunday releases.
In a later public appeal from Iowa City police, officials said five victims had been identified. One victim was in critical condition and four others were in stable condition, police said. Investigators also released images of persons of interest and said those people had been numbered to help the public share information.
Police asked anyone who recognizes the people shown in the images or has information about the shooting to contact Detective Cade Burma at cburma@iowa-city.org or 319-356-5275. Authorities also asked people in the area with security cameras to review their recordings and share any relevant footage. Iowa City Area Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
Campus alerts and support after the shooting
The University of Iowa emergency page shows the first Hawk Alert was issued at 1:51 a.m., warning of gunshots near College and Clinton streets. Later alerts told people to avoid the Ped Mall while the investigation continued, said there were no indications University of Iowa students were the intended victims and, by noon, said the Ped Mall had reopened with no known ongoing threat to the public.
University of Iowa President Barb Wilson confirmed in a campus message that three University of Iowa students were injured and said the university was supporting the Iowa City Police investigation. “I am thinking about these students and their families,” Wilson wrote, while directing students, faculty and staff to counseling and support resources.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement after the shooting that state resources were available to help with the investigation. Reynolds said the violence had devastated the university community and that the Iowa Department of Public Safety had contacted Iowa City police to offer support.
Earlier downtown Iowa City cases add context
Sunday’s shooting is the latest high-profile gunfire case to draw attention near the campus-adjacent nightlife district. In October 2025, Iowa’s News Now reported that a Coralville man charged in a Ped Mall shooting case that injured two people had agreed to a plea deal. The report said the case involved gunfire during a confrontation, with bullets striking another person and a nearby taco cart.
The year before, Iowa’s News Now reported that two people were shot near South Dubuque Street, just south of the Ped Mall, prompting a University of Iowa Hawk Alert because of the shooting’s proximity to campus. Police in that case said they believed the shooting was targeted and that there was no ongoing threat to the public.
University emergency records also detail the 2022 H-Bar shooting and follow-up city actions near South Van Buren Street and College Street. Officials later cited repeated calls for service and additional violence while pursuing nuisance abatement. Those earlier cases differ from the April 19 investigation, but they show why late-night gunfire downtown remains a recurring public safety concern for Iowa City and the university community.
Police seek tips as investigation continues
The case remained under investigation Monday, April 20. Police said there was no known ongoing threat associated with the incident, but no further details about the victims had been released.
Anyone with information, phone video or security-camera footage from the area around East College Street and South Clinton Street should contact Iowa City police. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Iowa City Area Crime Stoppers by phone at 319-358-TIPS (8477), through the P3 Tips app or online.
