Police hunt teen suspect after five shot near University of Iowa

Police are searching for Dustin Liston, 17, after a shooting near the University of Iowa left five people wounded in Iowa City’s downtown Ped Mall nightlife district. Investigators say the gunfire broke out in the 100 block of East College Street, just east of the campus, after a large fight and that responding officers heard shots around 1:46 a.m. Sunday, April 19.

Authorities issued a warrant for Liston on five counts of attempted murder. He was identified as a 17-year-old from Cedar Rapids, and no arrests had been made in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. The case has drawn immediate concern because it unfolded in a busy off-campus entertainment area where students, residents and late-night crowds regularly mix within walking distance of the University of Iowa campus.

Five people were treated for gunshot wounds, including three University of Iowa students. One woman remained in critical condition on Wednesday, April 22, after suffering a life-threatening head injury, deepening alarm over the severity of the attack and the number of young people caught in the violence.

The shooting also sharpened questions about safety in Iowa City’s downtown corridor, where the Ped Mall serves as a major gathering place for nightlife and foot traffic. Police said the confrontation began with a large fight before shots were fired, underscoring how quickly a crowded late-night dispute turned into a multi-victim crime scene in the heart of the city.

For the University of Iowa community, the aftermath centered on the condition of the wounded students and the search for the suspect. For Iowa City police, the priority remained finding Liston and piecing together how the fight escalated into gunfire in one of the city’s most visible public spaces. The manhunt continued as investigators worked to stabilize a case that left students injured and a downtown district on edge.