Two Waterloo, Iowa teens were killed by gun violence just weeks apart

Two teenagers have been killed by gun violence within weeks in Waterloo, Iowa.

On Sept. 26, law enforcement found the body of 17-year-old Owen Cannon in bushes on the 1000 block of West 3rd Street.

On Oct. 8, another teen, whose name has not been released, was also fatally wounded after being shot on the corner of West Third Street and Baltimore Street.

Brenda Dolan, a homeowner whose house was struck by gunfire during Thursday’s shooting, told the WCF Courier "They shot through my window. Somebody got killed again.” Dolan, a 17-year resident of the neighborhood, continued, "The neighborhood is going to hell. I'm just sick. I was sick when that kid over there died," she said, referring to the Sept. 26 death. "I don't understand where they get the money to buy these guns or where they buy these guns at their age."

KWWL confirmed that another teen from Waterloo has been charged in connection with the Sept. 8 shooting.

For the last three months, there have been fatal shootings in Waterloo. On Aug. 2, 63-year-old Henry Greer was also fatally wounded by a gunshot at a residence on West Mullan Street.

In 2019, USA Today published an article ranking Waterloo as the number-one worst city in America for African Americans on a list of 15 cities. The article discussed the significant gaps in unemployment for black residents in comparison to white residents. Black residents were unemployed at 23.9 percent, while white residents were unemployed at 4.4 percent.

Many long-time Waterloo residents have expressed concern about the city's overall deterioration, including its public school system, lack of employment opportunities, and rising crime rates. Waterloo no longer has a shopping mall, a skating rink, or many positive outlets for its youth and residents in general. The north end of the city no longer has a grocery store and now has only one pharmacy.

The city has a plethora of cold-case murders, many of which are linked to several unsolved shooting deaths of black residents. At this time, no arrests have been made for the deaths of Cannon or Greer.

This story will be updated.

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