The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has determined that Dubuque Police Officer Austin Manders acted with legal justification in the fatal shooting of Jai Ondrick Quin-Charles Lovely on January 4, 2026.
According to the report, Officer Manders was on routine patrol on Locust Street in Dubuque when he saw a fight involving several men near Odd Fellows Bar. As Manders exited his patrol vehicle, most of those involved fled, leaving two men facing each other. Before Manders could close his car door, one man shot the other, who fell to the ground. The officer then fired at the shooter, identified as Jai Ondrick Quin-Charles Lovely, who retreated into the bar.
Additional officers arrived and moved the shooting victim, Cory Michael Wilson, to safety while beginning lifesaving efforts. After evacuating most people from the bar, officers entered through a back door and found Lovely unconscious with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. Both men were taken by ambulance to local hospitals but died from their injuries. No bystanders or officers were injured during the incident.
Investigators recovered a .45 caliber handgun registered to Lovely at the scene. Shell casings from shots fired by Lovely and a bullet recovered from Wilson during autopsy were also .45 caliber.
The Attorney General’s Office issued its findings under independent authority granted by Iowa Code section 13.12 for investigating or prosecuting law enforcement conduct resulting in death.
A copy of the full report is available here.
