Lang
5/24/25
An Iowa City shooting suspect is accused of trying to contact the surviving victim despite a no-contact order being in place.
Iowa City Police say 44-year-old Antavis M.W. Watson used his Inmate Canteen account at the Johnson County Jail to send eight message requests to a woman he allegedly shot at just before midnight on March 29th. The calls were reportedly attempted between April 3rd and last Tuesday. Watson now faces eight no-contact order violations.
Watson is accused of shooting 38-year-old Elijah Williams of Iowa City as Williams and the woman were in a car parked on the 1800 block of South Gilbert Street. Witnesses say Watson fired several rounds into the vehicle, and phone records indicate Watson and Williams had been feuding leading up to the shooting. Watson is charged with 1st Degree Murder, Attempted Murder, and Possession of a Firearm as a Felon.
Watson has previous kidnapping and other felony charges against him. He was given a ten-year prison sentence on charges of 1st Degree Theft and Domestic Abuse Assault Involving a Weapon after a 2011 incident in Johnson County. Robbery and weapons charges against Watson out of Lee, Henry and Des Moines counties have been dismissed in the past due to plea deals.
If convicted on the murder charge, Watson faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. A hearing is set for May 30th.