Cedar Rapids police release bodycam footage in April fatal officer-involve shooting, ruled justified

The Cedar Rapids Police Department released the body camera footage along with an explanation of what happened leading up to the shooting late Tuesday morning.

A review of a fatal officer-involved shooting in Cedar Rapids in April has found officers acted with legal justification.

In the incident, David Vanderhamm, 39, of Cedar Rapids, died after an altercation with police on April 6.

Vanderhamm’s mother called police to the 200 block of 31st Street NE around 2:20 p.m. for help getting her son to the hospital for a mental health evaluation. She reported Vanderhamm had access to a firearm and was paranoid and violent.

Police Chief David Dostal said Vanderhamm was taken to the hospital, but refused treatment and left. His step-father picked him up and took him home.

Later that day, around 6:37 p.m., Vanderhamm called police saying he wanted to fight with officers and made threatening statements.

When officers arrived and gave verbal commands for Vanderhamm to drop his weapon.

”Officers developed a tactical plan to include less lethal options. The officer response team included lethal force and taser options,” Dostal said.

In the body camera footage, officers can be heard saying to deploy a taser. TV9 asked CRPD if a taser had been deployed. The only response received was that no further information outside of the press release and accompanying video would be released at this time.

Police said he raised the weapon instead, and three officers fired, killing him.

Police said Vanderhamm’s step-father, who was trying to de-escalate the situation, was also hit by the gunfire. The body camera video shows he was in the line of fire. The step-father was taken to the hospital for multiple gunshot wounds, including one to his stomach, and one to the right side of his head.

Officers can be seen running to his side after the shooting.

Police said the step-father told them Vanderhamm had wanted to “commit suicide by cop.”

No police officers were injured during the shooting.

Police said the weapon Vanderhamm was holding was an air-rifle, which police showed an image of, describing as “real-looking, replica firearm.”

”Only after the shooting when a crime scene team recovered the weapon and accompanying magazine Vanderhamm had been wielding was it discovered that the weapon was a black, SIG MPX CO2 air rifle with the stock removed,” Dostal said.

The Iowa Attorney General’s office ruled the shooting justified roughly two weeks ago.