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Jeremy Scott Baumer Jr.

Age : 20

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 08/29/2022

Location : West River Drive near Fairmount Street

City : Davenport

County : Polk

State : Iowa

Agency : Iowa State Patrol

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/26/2022, 20-year-old Jeremy Scott Baumer Jr. was killed after an Iowa State Patrol pursuit of his motorcycle reached speeds exceeding 100 mph on West River Drive in Davenport and ended when Baumer's motorcycle crashed into the rear of a Ford Fusion near Fairmount Street. Baumer was transported to a Davenport hospital and pronounced dead.
The crash occurred at approximately 9:55 p.m. Baumer was riding eastbound on West River Drive while Iowa State Patrol troopers pursued him. State Patrol specifically acknowledged that speeds during the pursuit exceeded 100 mph.
Near Fairmount Street, Baumer's motorcycle struck the rear of a white Ford Fusion. The woman driving the Ford sustained minor injuries and declined medical treatment. She was the only person in the car. Baumer suffered fatal injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
One of the most significant unresolved facts is why Iowa State Patrol initiated or continued a pursuit exceeding 100 mph in the first place. In its report several days after Baumer's death, KWQC specifically stated that troopers had not disclosed why they were pursuing him and that the station had contacted State Patrol seeking additional information.
A search for later reporting, court records and other follow-up did not locate a subsequent public explanation establishing the initiating reason for the pursuit. I also did not locate a publicly released pursuit report identifying the trooper, the pursuit's total duration or distance, the maximum recorded speed beyond the acknowledgement that it exceeded 100 mph, whether a supervisor authorized or monitored it, or whether police considered terminating it before the fatal collision.
The date in the original source can also cause confusion because the identification story was published on August 29 and described the crash as having occurred the previous Friday. Baumer actually died on 08/26/2022, which is independently confirmed by his funeral-home record.Baumer had recently begun working at Deere & Company Davenport Works. Motorcycles were not merely incidental to the night he died; riding motorcycles was one of his principal interests, along with fishing. He also worked alongside his family at J&M Displays, helping with fireworks at community events.
He left behind his father and stepmother, mother, sister, half-brothers, step-siblings, grandfather and extended family. His family requested that memorial contributions be made to the Humane Society of Scott County. He was buried at Maysville Cemetery following his funeral on 09/06/2022.
No subsequent civil lawsuit, settlement, criminal prosecution, publicly disclosed disciplinary action or completed public investigation explaining the decision to pursue Baumer at more than 100 mph was located during this update. Consequently, the most important question left unanswered by the original reporting remains unanswered in the later public record: what prompted Iowa State Patrol to initiate and maintain the high-speed pursuit that preceded Baumer's death.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Iowa State Patrol trooper or troopers who initiated and participated in the pursuit have not been publicly identified in the records located for this update.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.kwqc.com/2022/08/29/troopers-identify-man-killed-after-vehicle-chase-ends-davenport-crash/
https://www.hmdfuneralhome.com/obituaries/jeremy-baumer-jr