Linn County Attorney Releases Report Regarding August 5, 2025, Officer-Involved Shooting

Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks released a report today detailing his factual findings and conclusions regarding the actions taken by four Cedar Rapids police officers on August 5, 2025, during an officer-involved shooting.

On August 5, 2025, Cedar Rapids police officers Nolan Dostal, Paul Cavin, Alexander Rink, and Jacob Paulsen used deadly force against Aaron Thomas Rich, age 22, following a reported firearm theft from Theisen's, a police vehicle pursuit of the suspect, and the suspect pointing a gun at the officers after the officers stopped the suspect's vehicle using tactical driving maneuvers at the Oak Hill Manor Apartments at 1311 16^th St. SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Rich was the driver of the vehicle and the person who pointed the gun at the responding officers. Rich sustained serious bodily injury during the incident.

Maybanks found the use of deadly force by the Cedar Rapids police officers to be justified in this incident. In the report containing images from officer body cameras and squad car footage, Maybanks details factual findings supporting his conclusion.

"Criminal charges against these officers are not warranted," Maybanks wrote in the report. "Their actions on August 5, 2025, were taken to protect our community, to save their own lives, the lives of fellow officers, and to potentially save the lives of others. This was clearly a justified shooting by these officers."

View the County Attorney's full report.