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Des Moines woman faces firearm charges after officers shot in traffic stop

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October 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI]— A Des Moines woman has been indicted in a deadly traffic stop in September during which the suspect was killed and two officers were shot. 47-year-old Shawnna Cunningham is facing charges for having a firearm as a drug user and for aiding and abetting the possession and disposal of a gun to someone she knew was a felon.

Court documents show Cunningham was a passenger in the car Sept. 16 when Joshua Green refused to pull over for police and a chase ensued. After Green crashed, officers say he didn’t comply with instructions to surrender and “violently struggled” with four officers on the scene. He eventually pulled a handgun and fired at officers, and they returned fire, fatally wounding him.

Cunningham admitted to owning the handgun and having it with her in the car before Green used it to shoot the officers, according to court documents. She denied giving the gun to Green. Both officers injured in the shooting are recovering.