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William Isaac Rich

Age : 22

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 08/30/2023

Location : Inn Circle, 5560 6th Street SW

City : Cedar Rapids

County : Linn

State : Iowa

Agency : Cedar Rapids Police Department

Officer(s) :Christopher Christy; Bryson Garringer

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during domestic disturbance response

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/30/2022, Cedar Rapids Police Department Investigator Christopher Christy and Sergeant Bryson Garringer shot and killed 22-year-old William Isaac Rich outside the Inn Circle apartment complex at 5560 6th Street SW after police responded to a domestic disturbance. Rich's family initially disputed the police account and organized protests demanding release of the officers' body-camera recordings. Police released the footage approximately nine days after the killing.
Police were dispatched at approximately 12:55 a.m. following a report of a violent domestic incident involving Rich and a woman at the apartment complex. Police were told before arriving that Rich might have a knife. Christy and Garringer encountered Rich outside the building.
The later-released body-camera footage provides substantially more information about the encounter than the original police statement. Rich can be seen outside while officers repeatedly order him to show his hands and get on the ground. He initially complies with some commands and kneels with his hands raised.
This became the central issue raised by Rich's family and supporters immediately after his death. Family members maintained that Rich had been surrendering and questioned why police shot him. Advocates for Social Justice worked with Rich's family and helped organize demonstrations demanding that Cedar Rapids release the body-camera footage rather than requiring the public to rely solely on the officers' account.
The footage subsequently showed that the encounter did not end while Rich remained kneeling with his hands raised. As officers moved closer to arrest him, Rich got back onto his feet. A knife is visible in his hand. Police repeatedly ordered him to drop it.
The confrontation then unfolded extremely quickly. Rich moved toward the officers while still holding the knife. Christy and Garringer fired their handguns, striking him multiple times. Rich collapsed on the pavement.
The video therefore resolved an important part of the initial factual dispute. Rich had been kneeling with his hands raised, as his family and supporters said, but the footage also showed that he subsequently stood, had a knife and moved toward police immediately before Christy and Garringer fired.
Rich died at the scene. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation took over the investigation. Christy and Garringer voluntarily submitted to interviews with DCI investigators and were placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting was reviewed. Christy had 14 years of law-enforcement experience and Garringer had 12.
Rich's family continued pressing for transparency after his death. Advocates for Social Justice worked with them during the protests and publicly emphasized the importance of releasing police video quickly after fatal shootings. The body-camera footage was shown to Rich's family before Cedar Rapids police released it publicly.
William was only 22. He left behind his parents, Sandra Rich and Ronald Rich, nine siblings, grandparents, nieces, a nephew and a large extended family. His funeral was held on 09/07/2022 in Cedar Rapids, followed by burial at Oak Shade Cemetery in Marion.
The Iowa Attorney General's Office subsequently reviewed the DCI investigation, including the body-camera evidence and statements from the officers. On 10/05/2022, the Attorney General concluded that Christy and Garringer's gunfire was legally justified.
Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks independently reviewed the Attorney General's findings and announced that his office accepted that conclusion. Maybanks said his office would conduct no further investigation and would not pursue criminal charges against either Christy or Garringer.
Significantly, Advocates for Social Justice did not continue disputing the legal justification after reviewing the released evidence. The organization said it concurred with the conclusion that the officers' actions were legally justified in the final confrontation. However, it emphasized that the case still demonstrated a need for greater police training in de-escalation and cultural competency.
That distinction is important to the later record: Rich's family and supporters initially challenged the police account and forced greater transparency through protests and demands for the body-camera footage. Once the footage was available, it confirmed both that Rich had initially knelt with his hands raised and that he subsequently stood with a knife and moved toward officers immediately before they fired.
No later civil wrongful-death lawsuit, settlement, criminal prosecution of the officers or subsequent official finding overturning the Attorney General's justification decision was located during this update.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Christopher Christy was a Cedar Rapids Police Department investigator with 14 years of law-enforcement experience when he shot Rich. Christy voluntarily gave an investigative interview to the Iowa DCI following the killing.
Bryson Garringer was a Cedar Rapids Police Department sergeant with 12 years of law-enforcement experience. He also voluntarily gave an interview to DCI investigators.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://dps.iowa.gov/press-release/2022-08-30/officer-involved-shooting-cedar-rapids
https://dps.iowa.gov/press-release/2022-08-30/cedar-rapids-officer-involved-shooting-subject-identified
https://dps.iowa.gov/press-release/2022-09-07/update-3-officers-identified-cedar-rapids-ois
https://www.thegazette.com/crime-courts/video-footage-released-of-fatal-cedar-rapids-officer-involved-shooting/
https://www.thegazette.com/crime-courts/advocates-for-social-justice-responds-to-cedar-rapids-officer-involved-shooting-decision/
https://www.linncountyiowa.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2986&ARC=5218
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2022/09/07/cedar-rapids-police-shooting-officers-shot-killed-man-identified/8012510001/
https://katv.com/news/nation-world/graphic-dramatic-bodycam-video-of-police-shooting-armed-black-man-released-cedar-rapids-iowa-officer-involved-shooting-justice-for-william-rich-knife-warning-domestic-violence
https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/advocates-for-social-justice-respond-to-ag-decision-in-william-rich-shooting
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/william-rich-obituary?id=36417488