Just before 1:00 p.m. Monday, the shooting at Starts Right Here, an educational outreach program in downtown Des Moines that helps at-risk youth and is well-supported by state and city leaders. Two students died.
Police Spokesperson Sgt. Will Holmes, the founder and CEO of Starts Right Here, known by his stage name Will Keeps, suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized as of Monday night, according to Paul Palizek. .
Palizek said the injured students, aged 16 and 18, were found to be in critical condition and officers performed CPR on them. They were taken to hospital, where they died.
Late Monday, police charged 18-year-old Preston Walls of Des Moines with two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and involvement in a criminal organization.
Palizek said in a news release that Walls was armed with a 9mm handgun with an extended magazine in Starts Right Here. I tried to take him outside.
“Wall and both deceased victims were known gang members belonging to rival gangs, and there is evidence that these crimes were committed as a result of an ongoing gang conflict,” Palizek said. He did not elaborate on evidence linking the shooting to a rival gang.
At approximately 1:20 p.m., police stopped the vehicle near MacRae Park, about two miles south of the shooting, according to eyewitness accounts. Walls fled and was said to have been pursued to 1300 blocks on Vista Drive by K-9 officers, while the other two of him remained in the vehicle. All three were detained.
Two others were in custody as of Monday night. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Mayor Frank Cowney said the suspect was a teenager.
more:What people are saying about the Des Moines shootings that killed two students
On Monday afternoon, about 20 people gathered at the entrance and lobby of the MercyOne De Moines emergency room.
Several confirmed to the Des Moines Register that they were friends or family members of individuals killed in the shooting but declined to comment further. , was waiting for news about loved ones. Many of them were teenagers.
Several cars and a police vehicle were parked in front of the hospital entrance. A crime scene squad was also seen leaving the parking lot.
Bystander: “Police cars are coming out of nowhere.”
The Starts Right Here program (455 SW Fifth St.) was founded by local rapper and activist Holmes (stage name Will Keeps).
Nicole Krantz, a coder at MercyOne Des Moines Clinics Administration, said her office next to Starts Right Here was locked down shortly after the shooting. She said she saw someone running from the building, both on foot and in a patrol car, being pursued by police.
“I saw a lot of police cars coming out of nowhere,” Krantz said.
“It’s scary. We’re all worried,” she said. We were told to stay away from the window as we weren’t sure if they caught the man. ”
Krantz said he was taking the rest of the day off due to stress and anxiety.
The shootings are the latest in a wave of violence that has swept the Des Moines subway since early December and include at least 10 murders, with Des Moines police killing a 16-year-old boy, they say. . and some non-lethal gunshots.
Palizek said there was “nothing random” about Monday’s shooting, but it was unclear what the specific motives were. “Sometimes you don’t know why unless someone tells you why,” he said.
more:What We Know About Starts Right Here, Where Two Students Were Shot Dead And Founders Wounded
State, local leaders react to shooting
Starts Right Here, which launched a partnership with Des Moines Public Schools in 2021, is helping re-enroll students in the district’s Options Academy credit recovery program, the district said in a news release. The group said it supports students who are out of school due to behavior problems.
The group serves 40 to 50 students at any given time, along with the school districts that offer the educational programs. Release said. Des Moines school officials were not at Starts Right Here when the shooting occurred, it said.
Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert is on Starts Right Here’s board, and Gov. Kim Reynolds is on its advisory board.
In May 2021, Reynolds signed legislation to expand charter schools in a ceremony at Starts Right Here. In a statement Monday, she said she was “shocked and saddened to hear about the shooting at Start’s Right Here. My heart breaks for them, these children, and their families.Kevin and I wish them a safe recovery. I am praying.”
Senator Chuck Grassley (Iowa Republican) tweeted, “Watching reports of shootings at Starts Right Here in Des Moines…”
“Thank you to first responders and law enforcement for their prompt response,” he wrote.
Interim Superintendent of Des Moines Schools Matt Smith said in a statement that school officials were eager for more details, but said, “Gun violence, especially by organizations that work closely with some of us. I am saddened to learn of the actions affecting Students”, “Our thoughts are with the victims of this incident and their families and friends.”
Iowa Education Association President Mike Veranek has called for more effective prevention of gun violence in schools.
“Tragedy has struck close to home once again. My heartfelt thanks to the Starts Right Here victims, their families and the school community enduring the unthinkable,” Beranek said in a statement. Keep students, educators and communities safe. Our schools need to be bastions of safety, not places of violence. This should end. As a country, we need to recognize that this is a social issue that permeates our schools. ”
In a busy day focused on educational issues, Iowa House held a minute’s silence for the victims on Monday at the request of D-Windsor Heights Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst.
“Some time ago, two Des Moines students were killed in a shooting at the Southwest Fifth’s Starts Right Here educational non-profit mentoring program. One adult is believed to be in a serious condition. Respect. I would like to ask for a moment of silence in honor of the families of those who lost their children today, honoring Ako Abdul Samad, who is currently there, to help heal the aftermath,” Confurst said. Told.
Senator Brad Zaun of R-Urbandale also led the Iowa Senate in a moment of silence.
“I just want to ask everyone for a moment of silence. Please pray for the families of the victims, the victims, and the people at the educational institutions,” Zaun said.
Will Keeps founded Starts Right Here to fight youth violence
Holmes says he founded Starts Right Here to prevent youth violence. He was born on Chicago’s South Side and is said to have become involved in gangs there after a traumatic event in his childhood.
As one of the presenters of the Des Moines Register’s Storytellers Project in 2018, he said, “I thought of the city as my family. These people in the city push me forward more than my family does.” He would protect me more than his own family.”
He then saw his friend fatally shot and beaten to near death.He became angry and aggressive.
He said he channeled those feelings to Iowa beyond just his career as a rapper. But when his kids challenged him to write a song about “what’s going on in the community,” he wrote about “opening people on both sides to listen and understand each other.” I came up with a song.
It opened my eyes to the possibility of change.
“You see, when I subtracted the negativity from my life and added the hope, and multiplied that with the people around me, I saw the division in my city start to fade,” he said. “It has allowed me to have a more positive influence in my community.”
Staff writers Virginia Barreda, Samantha Hernandez, and F. Amanda Tugade contributed to this article.
