Tower Place Parking Ramp shooter sentenced to 12 years in prison for May 2023 incident
The shooter in a May 2023 incident near downtown Iowa City has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Alexander Voudhivong, 23, pleaded guilty in April to willful injury causing serious injury and reckless use of a firearm causing property damage after a shooting that left a male victim in serious condition.
Four additional charges against him were dropped as part of the plea agreement. The state imposed the maximum allowable 10-year prison time for the felony willful injury charge.
Shooting at Tower Place Parking Ramp
Voudhivong took a gun from Marquel Poole and used it to shoot a male victim multiple times on the night of May 13, 2023 in the Tower Place Parking Ramp at the corner of Gilbert Street and Iowa Avenue, according to court filings.
Voudhivong attempted to change clothes and disguise himself near the parking ramp, according to authorities. Shell casings also struck a nearby building, causing an estimated $500 in damage. Voudhivong admitted in his plea deal that he fired the weapon and caused minor property damage.
The ramp is near the Iowa City Police Department and the Iowa City City Hall. The shooting took place on the penultimate night of the University of Iowa's graduation week.
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Accomplice pleads guilty
Police said Marquel Poole, the younger brother, is seen on video obtained by local authorities handing a firearm to Voudhivong.
Poole pleaded guilty to felon in possession of a firearm on May 3 for his role in the shooting.
Poole was arrested and later convicted of possessing a loaded, Glock 26 handgun while under the influence in 2021 outside of Pints Bar in downtown Iowa City.
Poole did not have a permit to carry while he also tested at .099 for blood alcohol content. He was only 20 at the time and was subsequently fined for being in a bar underage. He was handed a deferred judgment and sentenced to one-year probation.
A few months later, Poole was also found guilty of possession of a firearm by a felon and participating in a riot in connection with a shooting that occurred in July 2021. Officers found a Smith and Wesson SD9 pistol and a Springfield Saint .224 inside Poole’s residence. Poole was handed a deferred judgment and two years probation.
As part of his most recent plea, Poole will serve five years in prison. It will run concurrent to his additional felony gun possession in the July 2021 shooting.
Poole is set to be sentenced on July 8.
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Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Tower Place Parking Ramp shooter gets 12 years in prison
