DES MOINES, Iowa — The shooting that sent three to the hospital early Sunday morning on Court Avenue is the fifth shooting in the Court Avenue district this year according to Des Moines Police.
It is also the second firearm-related incident to happen after bar close in the district in October.
Monday marks one month since the end of the Court Avenue Entertainment Zone when parts of Court Avenue were closed off to those under age 21.
Local 5 wanted to find out if that zone and the extra security led to less crime, so we asked DMPD for a full report of incidents that happened within the zone compared to years past.
From May 21 to Sept. 6 of 2021, when the zone was scheduled to last, police responded to 54 calls to service. In 2020, there were 61, but keep in mind, Court Avenue was effectively closed because of COVID-19. In 2019, there were 73.
Taking a closer look at 2021 and 2019, there was a drop in illegal parking and an increase in responses to violent incidents like assaults and fights. Police responded to three reported assaults and three fights. In 2019, it was one assault and two fights.
Local 5 asked DMPD what can be done to prevent acts of violence from happening in this popular area. Sergeant Paul Parizek said it's a problem that can't be fixed by law enforcement alone.
"What we really need to hyper-focus on is what makes people think that is an environment that it is okay to bring guns to, or come down looking for a fight," said Sgt. Parizek. "We can't just throw more police at this and expect it to get solved."
Only one shooting happened this year within the entertainment district according to police. A security guard shot a gun into the air inside the Firm in late August. His partner was being attacked and he fired a shot into the ceiling to break things up. No one was injured and no charges were filed.
Local 5 reached out to the Polk County Board of Supervisors, who helped organized the zone, about these recurring incidents. They released the following statement:
Polk County committed to help fund the entertainment zone during the summer through the month of September. While Polk County is interested in continuing the entertainment zone we will do whatever we can to support the efforts of the City of Des Moines and the Des Moines Police Department. The County continues to have conversations with community partners to address this issue.