FirstAlerts

Two Men Face Federal Charges in Dubuque Shooting of U.S. Marshals

Donta Euells and Thomas Steffans are charged in the Northern District of Georgia with attempted murder of a federal officer and other offenses, according to conflicting reports.

2 reports on this incident · first at Aug 26, 2026, 3:08 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 28, 2026, 12:34 p.m. ETUpdated Aug 29, 2026, 5:22 a.m. ET
Two men face federal charges in connection with an August 9, 2025, incident in Dubuque, Iowa, in which a U.S. deputy marshal was shot, according to conflicting reports from wpbf.com and kcrg.com. Donta Euells, 45, of Freeport, Illinois, and Thomas Steffans are with attempted murder of a federal officer, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm as a felon, and several other federal offenses, according to wpbf.com and kcrg.com. The charges were announced on August 26, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, according to an official record. The accounts of the alleged conduct differ. kcrg.com reported that wpbf.com reported that The case is being investigated by the Dubuque Police and the U.S. Marshals, and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia with assistance from the FBI, according to wpbf.com and kcrg.com. The statutory maximum for the charges is , according to wpbf.com. The proceeding stage is disputed: kcrg.com reported that Euells was to , while wpbf.com reported that the men were . The cause of the incident has not been determined.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 26, 2026, 3:08 p.m. ETFirst report

    Georgia Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Illegal Firearm Possession

    ATLANTA – Jesse James Williams Jr., 51, of Decatur, Georgia, was sentenced on August 25, 2026, to 14 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia. The sentencing was announced on August 26, 2026, by the U.S. Attorney's Office. A jury found Williams guilty on December 18, 2025, of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after a four-day trial.

    According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, on May 29, 2024, a Gwinnett County police officer stopped Williams's car for speeding and recovered a stolen pistol and a baggie of crack cocaine from his waistband. Law enforcement later linked the gun to a shooting in Decatur that injured a woman. Prior to the 2024 arrest, Williams had more than a dozen felony convictions, including cocaine trafficking, robbery, burglary, and weapon possession. In 2011, he was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for killing a man over a $10 drug debt.

    U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said, "Amassing more than a dozen felony convictions, this violent, incorrigible defendant spent decades breaking the law." FBI Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham stated, "Williams has demonstrated time and again that he has no regard for the law or the safety of others." The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from multiple agencies, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dash A. Cooper and Phyllis Clerk.

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Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 229 Aug 2026, 09:22current

    Updated to reflect conflicting reports on the proceeding stage and alleged conduct, and to include both defendants and charges.

  2. Version 126 Aug 2026, 19:08current

    First published.

  3. Version 128 Aug 2026, 17:22

    First published.

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