Des Moines police shoot, kill fleeing suspect after 2 officers shot, injured
By Chris Benson,
28 days ago
Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Two police officers in Iowa have been hospitalized after being shot early Monday morning in an incident in which a fleeing suspect was shot and killed by officers, officials say.
Des Moines Police Department officers and investigators examine the scene in Des Moines early Monday at which two officers were shot and a suspect killed. Police said the suspect, identified as a 37-year-old male, opened fire with a handgun after Des Moines police officers attempted to take the driver into custody. Officers returned fire and killed the suspect, police said. Photo courtesy of Des Moines Police Department
Initial reports say the incident in Des Moines, Iowa's capital, began at about 1:40 a.m. local time near the 2500 block of Easton Boulevard when police attempted to stop a vehicle for an "equipment violation." Police said the driver refused to stop.
A chase then ensued, which temporarily stopped in a parking lot before the suspect then sped away from law enforcement in a 2005 blue Ford Focus , finally ending when the suspected driver turned north on E. 24th Street from Easton Boulevard, left the roadway and then crashed, according to Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek.
Officers blocked the vehicle and gave instructions to the suspect to turn off and exit his car. He was then shot and killed after police said he failed to comply and opened fire on officers with a handgun, law enforcement officials said.
The suspect was identified as a 37-year-old male.
A police officer works a scene Monday in Des Moines in which two officers were shot and a suspect killed. Initial reports say the incident in Des Moines began at about 1:40 a.m. local time when police attempted to stop a vehicle for an “equipment violation.” The driver refused to stop and eventually pulled a handgun on officers before being killed, police said. Photo courtesy of Des Moines Police Department
The two injured Des Moines police officers, who both have been with the department since 2022, are expected to survive. It is the second time so far this year that a police officer in Des Moines had been injured by gunfire.
A neighbor who awoke at the time of the incident said he "heard a sound that went like, 'pop, pop, pop, pop'" and that the occurrence was not common.
A Des Moines Police Department detective attends the scene of the shooting in Des Moines early Monday. A resident in an area where police stopped the suspect said he “heard a sound that went like, 'pop, pop, pop, pop'” and that the occurrence was not common. “It’s strange for this neighborhood,” said 78-year-old Larry Miller, of Des Moines. Photo courtesy of Des Moines Police Department
The incident is still being investigated by local police with a request to join by the Division of Criminal Investigation of Iowa's Department of Public Safety.
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