DES MOINES, Iowa — Following two weekend shootings in Des Moines, one person has died and two others are injured.
The first incident took place around 10:15 p.m. Officers with the Des Moines Police Department arrived on the scene of a shooting at 2400 Hickman Road, in which two victims were hit. a 46-year-old female is still in the hospital in serious condition, but the other victim, a 51-year-old male, wasn't so fortunate, despite first-aid attempts from officers on the scene.
"The medics were able to keep that going. And the hospital worked throughout the night into the morning to save that man's life. But unfortunately, late this morning, he died," said Sgt. Paul Parizek of the DMPD.
A few hours later, around 12:30 a.m., officers responded to reports of gunshots behind the Court Center building on Court Avenue. Security personnel had broken up a fight inside, and then shots were fired outside. The victim was hit in the abdomen but is expected to survive. The victim was also a familiar face for DMPD.
"The victim in this case has told investigators he doesn't want anybody arrested. And what we've learned is he himself was arrested on Court Avenue in October with a firearm, and he actually assaulted officers at that time," Parizek said.
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Hearing about these incidents might be nerve-wracking for some, but Des Moines—and Iowa—are still safe places to live. According to the CDC, Iowa's death rate from gun violence is about 11.2 people per 100,000, which is the 13th-lowest in the United States. Among neighboring states, only Minnesota and Nebraska have lower gun mortality rates, at 8.9 and 10.1, respectively.
Despite this, some may still be nervous about shootings. Authorities told Local 5 that most shootings they respond to are targeted incidents, meaning that most Des Moines residents are not at risk of having gun violence interrupt their daily lives.
"We want our community to understand is that the overwhelming majority of these instances are people targeting other people. They know who they're going after. They know why they're doing it. The average person isn't going to have these things happen to them because they are not walking in that world," Parizek said.