‘Run as fast as you can’: Mom recalls night of gunfire in Iowa City
By KCCI Staff
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IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCCI) — A mother visiting Iowa City for University of Iowa Moms Weekend says a night meant for bonding and celebration turned into a terrifying scramble for safety when gunfire erupted near the downtown Ped Mall early Sunday.
Aly Davis, of Waukee, whose daughter is a freshman at the University of Iowa, said the two were wrapping up the evening and preparing to head back separately when they suddenly heard what she first thought were fireworks.
“All of a sudden, we just heard a series of ‘bang bang, bang bang,’” Davis said. “My initial response was not to think that it was gunshots.”
But when a second round of shots rang out, and crowds began running, Davis said the reality of the moment hit hard.
“I, unfortunately, just given the world we live in, thought it was an active shooter,” she said.
According to Iowa City police and university officials, five people were wounded in the shooting, including three University of Iowa students. Police said officers were responding to reports of a large fight in the downtown nightlife district around the Ped Mall when they heard gunfire. One victim was reported in critical condition, and four others were stable Sunday. No arrests had been announced early in the investigation, though police later released photos of persons of interest.
Davis said she and her daughter were about 200 feet from where the shooting happened.
In the chaos, Davis said her first instinct was to protect her daughter.
“I turned to my daughter and said, ‘There’s a shooter. I want you to run as fast as you can, get safe, even if you have to hide,’” she said.
Her daughter and a group of friends ran toward the residence halls. Davis stayed behind, believing she might slow them down — and feeling, as a mother, that any disruption she could create might buy her daughter more time to get away.
“I know I don’t have the physical strength to overtake a person, and definitely not a firearm,” Davis said. “But if I can cause some kind of a delay for her to get further and safer, that’s what I needed to do.”
She briefly hid in an alley. Then her daughter came back.
“She said, ‘I’m not leaving you. Come with me,’” Davis said.
The two eventually persuaded an Uber driver to take them away from the area.
By Sunday morning, Davis said both she and her daughter were still processing what had happened. She said her daughter felt grateful they were safe, while also thinking about the victims and their families.
“Lives are still lives,” Davis said. “Just really thoughts and strength and comfort to the victims and their families.”
Davis also said the support from other mothers during Moms Weekend helped. At a final scheduled event the next morning, she said families embraced one another and checked in.
She praised the response from Iowa City police, emergency crews and the university, saying the law enforcement presence grew quickly and university alerts were sent out while they were still trying to leave downtown.
The University of Iowa told students to avoid the area and later said there was no indication that university students were the intended targets. University President Barbara Wilson also urged students and staff to lean on one another and seek support if needed.
For other parents, especially those who were not in Iowa City with their children, Davis said the experience reinforces the importance of awareness.
“The biggest thing is just always be mindful of your surroundings,” she said. “Never go anywhere alone.”
The pedestrian mall in Iowa City, built in 1979, is a centerpiece of the downtown urban renewal project and a popular gathering spot for University of Iowa students and staff.
While not located on the university campus, the mall is widely known as a favorite hangout for the community.
The last shooting at the pedestrian mall occurred in 2017, when two people were hospitalized in critical condition. That incident also took place in the early hours of a Sunday morning.
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