2 students killed in shooting at Des Moines school

Post Reply New Topic

Two students have died after a shooting at their Des Moines, Iowa, school on Monday, according to police.

The third victim, a school employee, is in serious condition after the shooting at Starts Right Here, a charter school, Des Moines police spokesman Paul Parizek told reporters.

The shooting, which took place inside the school, was reported just before 1 p.m. About 20 minutes later, three potential suspects were taken into custody at a traffic stop about 2 miles away from the school, according to police.

A motive is unclear, but Parizek said the shooting was "definitely targeted" and "not random."

A representative from the Des Moines Public Schools said Start Here is a "community partner of Des Moines Public Schools providing two services: helping to re-engage students in the district's Options Academy credit recovery program and supporting students no longer in a school building due to behavioral issues." The school, which began its partnership with the district in 2021, serves between 40 and 50 students, the representative said.

An 18-year-old gang member cut off a court-ordered ankle monitor and went to an educational program for at-risk youths on Monday in Des Moines, where he fatally shot two fellow students who were members of an opposing gang, the authorities said.

The gunman, identified by police as Preston Walls, 18, of Des Moines, also shot William Holmes, 49, who founded the Starts Right Here program, the police said in statement on Monday night. Mr. Holmes was hospitalized in serious condition, the police said.

The two dead victims, a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old whose names were not immediately released, were residents of Des Moines, the police said.

Mr. Walls is believed to have shot the two teenagers because of a gang dispute, the police said. Mr. Walls was wearing a court-ordered GPS ankle monitor as a pretrial release condition after a weapons charge, and cut off the monitor about 16 minutes before the shooting, the police said.

Mr. Walls walked into a common area at Starts Right Here on Monday afternoon, carrying a handgun with an extended ammunition magazine, the police said. Mr. Holmes tried to escort Mr. Walls out of the area before Mr. Walls began shooting, according to the authorities.

After shooting at the two teens and Mr. Holmes, Mr. Walls fled on foot, the police said.

Mr. Walls was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and criminal gang participation.

Mayor Frank Cownie of Des Moines said at a City Council meeting on Monday night that Mr. Holmes, a rapper who performs under the name Will Keeps, was “recovering tonight in the hospital.”