Des Moines woman faces firearm charges after officers shot in traffic stop
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.
Shawnna Cunningham, 47, 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.
"In May 2020, Cunningham purchased the nine-millimeter pistol Green used to shoot the police officers," DMPD said in a news release. "In September 2021, Green was arrested with the same pistol and later convicted of unlawfully possessing it as a felon. In March 2022, the gun was returned to Cunningham at her request. After Green was released from prison in January 2024, Cunningham again knowingly allowed Green to access, possess, and use her firearm."
Cunningham denied giving the gun to Green, according to court documents.
Both officers injured in the shooting are recovering.
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