Six teenagers have been arrested on murder charges stemming from a drive-by shooting Monday outside a Des Moines, Iowa, high school that left a 15-year-old boy dead and critically injured two female students, police said on Tuesday.
The teenager who was fatally shot is believed to have been the intended target, the Des Moines Police Department said in a statement Tuesday.
Most of the suspects were arrested within an hour of the shooting and all were in custody in several hours, police said.
“While this incident occurred outside of a school, it could have occurred in any one of our neighborhoods. The school is where the suspects found their target,” police said in the statement.
The two wounded teenage girls remained in a hospital Tuesday with life-threatening injuries, police said.
The names of the suspects and the victims were not released.
In addition to first-degree murder, the suspects were charged with two counts each of attempted murder, authorities said.
Overnight, homicide detectives executed multiple residential and vehicle search warrants, and recovered multiple firearms, police said.
The shooting unfolded Monday afternoon outside East High School. The two injured girls were both students at the school, while the slain boy was not, police said.
The motive for the shooting remains under investigation.
In this screen grab taken from Google Maps Street View, East High School in Des Moines, Iowa, is shown.
“Unfortunately, what happened here … is just another pointless tragedy in our community, people using firearms to settle their differences,” Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert said Monday.
The high school was immediately on lockdown Monday afternoon, but Des Moines Public School District tweeted students were being dismissed on time after police and the school district gave an all-clear.
As a volunteer in our local Juvenile Diversion program, we remind the teens that even if they are not in possession of or actually shoot the gun, or smoke or shoot up or swallow the drug in the vehicle or drink the alcohol, they can be charged as well.
This is good that you train them or try to get them to understand the consequences that can arrive out of committing and or being part of a crime when it is committed. This needs to be taught by parents then also in the first 5 years of their schooling. Obedience should be a priority I. Our homes and schools.
Glad to see you doing this I hope it sinks into the majority of those you work with. Takes a lot of patience and most of all love ❤️ to help these young folks. To me it shows a failure in our parent’s of teaching right from wrong and respect of others. I commend you on what you are trying to accomplish.
I hope they get life, all 6 of them. To bad Iowa does not have the death penalty but it was abolished 45-50 years ago. People who commit premeditated murder don’t deserve anything less, teenagers or not. Now we the tax payer will end up paying the tab. Need chain gangs to make them work 12 hours a day. Prisons today are a piece of work. TV’s, pool tables, internet etc.. Pathetic it is. When you commit a crime you do the time with no privileges. Some prisons today are better than motels you stay in. Hopefully they are tried as adults and get life. Drive by shootings are premeditated and if someone is murdered then it is premeditated murder and attempted murder. May the good Lord be with those parents of the victims and those parents of those who committed this horrific premeditated crime. 6 to take out one but ended up 2 innocent girls were in the line of fire. Sounds gang related since there were 6 murders involved. Just my opinion I wonder if these murders were illegal immigrants?
I forgot to thank our Des Moines Police Department for a job well done. I congratulate you all for the speedy capture of the ruthless criminals. Again GREAT JOB.. I stand with you all the way. I hope this don’t turn into anti gun political garbage as it seems everytime a crime is committed with a weapon some people go crazy.
C’mon man! These ”Dreamers” must be allowed to fulfill their dreams unencumbered by social morals..
I have nothing against dreamers (I assume you talking about illegals here) but when you commit premeditated crime of illegally crossing our borders I have a real problem with that. They should be charged as felons, sent back to where they came from. Never to return. There is a right way to fulfill their dreams and that is to legally apply for citizenship.
“…people using firearms to settle their differences,”
Its NOT the firearms, its feral afros.
Not a shade racist, R U!