Cedar Rapids man allegedly shot January murder victim during drug deal gone wrong
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Court documents have given more details in the homicide of a 22-year-old from Cedar Rapids.
On January 8th, 2023, officers responded to a report that someone had been shot in the 5500 block of Kirkwood Boulevard.
Officers found a vehicle off the road in the 5600 block of Kirkwood Boulevard SW with an unresponsive driver suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds. He died later at the hospital.
He was identified as 22-year-old Mohamed Tawfik.
Following an investigation, 21-year-old Paris Diamond was located by the United States Marshal’s Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force on February 3rd and was subsequently arrested.
According to the criminal complaint, Police discovered during their investigation that Tawfik and Diamond were communicating with one another via cell phone before the incident. Messages reportedly indicated that Tawfik was arranging to meet Diamond to sell him drugs.
The night of the incident, a witness reported seeing a male individual approach Tawfik’s vehicle with the two of them shouting at one another. Tawfik attempted to drive from the scene, driving the vehicle off the road where he was later found unresponsive by investigators.
Investigators found two shell casings in Tawfik’s vehicle and a large amount of marijuana in a backpack inside.
Officials also found a “SS” car emblem at the scene of the crime. When investigators went to the registered address of the defendant’s vehicle, they found it was missing the “SS” emblem.
Court records also say that police found a Taurus G3 pistol at Diamond’s address that was seized following a search warrant. According to officials, it was test-fired and found to be a match to the shell casings found inside Tawfik’s vehicle.
Diamond has been charged with:
- Murder 1st Degree
- Robbery 1st Degree
- Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon
- Going Armed with Intent
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