A man who shot two people outside the now-defunct Pura Social Club in Des Moines’ East Village last year has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Cori Shields, now 27, was charged in March 2024 with two counts of attempted murder after prosecutors said he responded to a large fight outside the club by pulling a gun and opening fire, seriously injuring his intended target as well as a bystander. On Monday, Sept. 29, Shields pleaded guilty to reduced charges of willful injury, reckless use of a firearm and intimidation with a dangerous weapon, and was sentenced immediately to consecutive terms of 10, 10 and 5 years.
Shields had no prior criminal record, and defense attorney Karen Hart Lundy told the judge he had considered arguing legal justification for the shooting before choosing to accept the plea deal instead. Lundy called Shields kind and smart, an “outlier” among her clients, who made a bad call in a tense situation.
“He was not involved in the original fight, but he was involved with some of the people who were there,” she said. “He was legally carrying a gun, however he was not a prepared gun owner, and in that violent interaction… Mr. Shields made an incorrect judgment about the amount of harm that could result in that moment.”
Prosecutor Kevin Hathaway said Shields escalated what already was a chaotic scene by pulling out the gun. Hathaway emphasized that it was only “pure luck” that the two victims, one of whom was shot in the neck, survived their injuries.
Judge Paul Scott called Shields’ actions “unacceptable and dangerous,” even while noting they appeared to be out of character for him.
“It’s another example of what this court believes is a misunderstanding of our constitutional right to bear arms, where anyone can get a gun at any time without any training and walk around with it,” Scott said. “I don’t know what precipitated this, but it ended up in the spot you’re in right now.”
Shields spoke only to confirm he’d committed the elements of each crime during his plea hearing, and during the sentencing, he apologized to the woman he shot by accident, although not to the man he shot on purpose. Scott imposed the 25-year sentenced called for by the plea deal and told Shields, who has a 1-year-old daughter, he wished him the best of luck when he gets out.
“Having these felonies on your record is not the end of the road. It’s a hurdle,” he said, adding that “Given your history … everybody believes you have the ability to be a successful human being when you get out of prison.”
Owners of the high-rise Lyons Apartments, which housed Pura in a space with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking downtown, told residents shortly after the shootings they were seeking to evict the club. Opened in 2022, it has since closed.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Man gets 25 years for shooting near East Village club; lawyer says ‘pure luck’ none killed
Reporting by William Morris, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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