DES MOINES, Iowa — Two Des Moines police officers are continuing to recover from injuries following a shooting early Monday, the department said in a press release.
The shooting, which prompted return fire by DMPD officers, resulted in the death of 37-year-old Carlisle resident Joshua Dean Green, the department said in its most recent update Friday.
Officer Jacob Boekhoff, who was shot in the arm, has been released from the hospital as of Tuesday afternoon. The other officer, Cade Moritz, who was shot in the head, remains hospitalized in stable condition, according to the department.
Two other officers, Frankie Contreras and Cpt. Chad Steffen, who were also at the scene remain on administrative assignment as per DMPD protocol following what the department calls "experiencing a significant critical incident."
Early Monday morning officers attempted to stop a car driven by Green for an equipment violation on Easton Boulevard at around 1:40 a.m. He initially stopped, but then sped away, leading to a pursuit, according to the release.
Police said Green then turned onto E 24th Street, left the road and crashed. Sgt. Paul Parizek told Local 5 officers tried to get him to turn off the car and get out, but he didn't comply.
Police used a taser on Green while attempting to take him into custody. The suspect allegedly "began to struggle violently" with the responding officers, Parizek added.
During the struggle, Green began shooting at police, Parizek told Local 5. Three out of four officers on scene returned fire, hitting Green. He later died at a hospital.
A passenger in Green's car at the time, a 47-year-old female, was not injured and has not been criminally charged at this time.
Both of the injured officers have been with the Des Moines Police Department since 2022.
Des Moines Police Department press conference (Sept. 16, 2024)
"We were fortunate that [the scene was] right around the corner of the fire station, so those medics were able to get here pretty quickly, give that little more advanced care, and then get them on to the hospital so they could be taken care of," Parizek said.
Parizek said he feels fortunate that the officers' injuries weren't worse.
"When you look at a close quarter shooting like that, and plus, an officer being struck in the head, we could be telling a very, very different story," he said.
A homeowner who lives two houses away from the scene slept through the whole incident. She describes her neighborhood as generally quiet.
"In a way I'm kind of glad I slept through the thing," she said. "I think if I would have woke up and seen what was going on or heard what was going on or whatever, it'd be much more worrisome for me."
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Des Moines police detectives continue to investigate the incident.
Local 5 will update this story as more information becomes available. Download the We Are Iowa app or subscribe to Local 5's "5 Things to Know" email newsletter for the latest.