Shooting at Des Moines, Iowa high school leaves 1 teen dead, 2 injured
The Des Moines shooting scene (via WOI) (via WOI)
One teenager is dead and another two were injured after a shooting outside of East High School located in Des Moines, Iowa on Monday, according to police.
The victim who was killed was identified as a 15-year-old male who did not attend East High School, according to police. Both injured victims were females, one 16 years old and the other 18, and both attended the school, police confirmed. They remained in critical condition as of Monday evening.
KCCI-TV reported that Sgt. Paul Parizek said an unknown number of suspects have been detained.
Des Moines Public Schools were given the "all clear" by police after putting the high school on lockdown earlier on Monday, according to a tweet, and students will be dismissed "on time."
"It is a punch in the gut that we have three kids in the hospital," Parizek said, "but we are hoping for the best for them."
He said calls started pouring in around 2:50 p.m., shortly before classes were scheduled to dismiss for the day. Police said they do not believe there is a continued threat to the public.
"It is sad but we do train for this. We do have to be prepared for it and this is why," Parizek said.
The motive wasn't immediately released and it appeared the gunfire came from a passing vehicle.
FILE - Map image shows East High School location in Des Moines, Iowa. (FOX TV Stations)
"Obviously, we threw every resource we had at this. We know that the kids in that school are our community’s most precious cargo," Parizek added.
"Unfortunately what happened here today is just another pointless tragedy in our community. People using firearms to settle their differences," Police Chief Dana Wingert said at the scene of the shooting.
The Des Moines shooting scene (via WOI) (via WOI)
Classes have been canceled for Tuesday, March 8, according to a Des Moines Public Schools news release.
"I think we can all agree an event like this is everyone’s worst nightmare. Tonight, hug your students and love them," Jill Versteeg, principal of East High School, said.
Grief counselors will be made available to students and staff through the end of the week, the news release continued.
"We live in an era when shootings in and near schools have become too common," said Superintendent Thomas Ahart. "Our staff and students are forced to train for these incidents and the trauma associated with the repeated drills and incidents will remain with them for years to come. It’s unfortunate that our state and our country have become a place where firearms are far too easily accessible. We remain committed to protecting our students and staff, but real change to gun laws and access would go a long way to help us."
Special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Des Moines field office have been deployed to assist with investigations, the agency tweeted.
FOX Television Stations has reached out to the Des Moines school district for comment.
News of the most recent shooting comes just two days after seven people were killed in devastating storms that tore through central Iowa.
Saturday's storms damaged or destroyed dozens of homes and downed power lines and trees, causing some power outages.
The tornadoes were followed by winter storms overnight Sunday into Monday that dropped about 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) of snow in central Iowa and 6.5 inches (16.5 centimeters) in Mount Vernon in eastern Iowa.
The snow prompted officials to cancel Monday's planned storm cleanup efforts after hundreds of volunteers helped out on Sunday. The cleanup was expected to resume Tuesday, but more snow is in the forecast for Thursday, which could cause additional delays.
This story is developing. Check back for updates. The Associated Press and Chris Williams contributed to this report.