The Iowa Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a woman involved in a shooting in Waterloo in 2020, according to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. LaSondra Johnson was initially charged with Murder in the shooting death of Jada Young-Mills. A jury convicted Johnson of the lesser crime of Assault Causing Serious Injury. She was sentenced to up to five years in prison. The Supreme Court found that the jury was given instructions that likely confused jurors regarding Johnson’s stand-your-ground defense. Johnson’s lawyer argued at trial that Johnson got into an argument after being surrounded by Young-Mills and her friends. In court testimony they argued that Johnson ran to her car and pulled out a gun and fired what they described as a warning shot. The bullet struck and killed Young-Mills. The conviction has been reversed, the sentence has been vacated, and the case goes back to the district court.
