FORT DODGE, Iowa — The Fort Dodge community is dealing with yet another violent crime in the city.
According to Fort Dodge police, officers received a call shortly before 10 p.m. on the Fourth of July saying that someone had been shot. When officers arrived around South 15th Street and 4th Avenue South, they found a 15-year-old male unresponsive and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
"Officers on scene located a male laying in the roadway, started to administer some aid to that male before Fort Dodge fire arrived on scene to take over. That male was ultimately pronounced deceased on scene," said Fort Dodge Chief of Police Dennis Quinn.
The victim's name is being withheld while police are notifying his family members.
Jim Clark heard the news about the homicide when Local 5 met him at the scene.
"I don't know where they're getting the guns or what but I don't know how we can get a hold on it, you know? I don't know what's been going on," he said.
In a social media post Wednesday afternoon, the city said the violence "in several cases, appears to originate from a specific group of individuals."
But the victim in this case isn't the only teenager killed in Fort Dodge in recent memory. It's becoming an all-too-common occurrence, after several violent incidents earlier this year.
Eighteen-year-old Patrick Walker was shot and killed on May 2. Adrian Grover, also 18 years old, was shot to death less than two weeks later in a separate, unrelated incident. Officers say that with so many young victims, the search for solutions is more urgent than ever.
"We're trying to figure out different avenues, listen to people, hear their voices to what they're concerned about, and get creative as to how we can go about curbing some of this," Quinn said.
Fort Dodge police are still investigating the July 4 case. Anyone with more information is asked to call 515-573-1424.
Fort Dodge police are looking for 18-year-old Jamarrion James "J.J." Davis of Ankeny in connection to the July 4 shooting. An arrest warrant has been issued for first-degree murder.
He is considered armed and dangerous. Police describe him as 5'8" and weighing 115 lbs.
Webster County Crime Stoppers is offering $500,000 for information leading to his arrest.