Two students were fatally shot Monday afternoon at a charter school in Des Moines, Iowa, that is tailored for disadvantaged youth.
via: Complex
According to the Des Moines Register, the incident occurred shortly before 1 p.m. at Starts Right Here, an educational mentorship program affiliated with the city’s school district, which focuses on helping at-risk youth in grades 9-12. When officers arrived at the scene, CPR was performed on two students, who were critically injured. They were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
An adult who worked at the school was also found in serious condition. They were taken to surgery.
Around 1:20 p.m., authorities located a vehicle that matched witnesses’ descriptions about two miles away from the site of the shooting. When the car was stopped, two passengers remained inside while a third individual attempted to flee on foot. That person was eventually tracked down with the help of a K-9. All three have been taken into custody.
Police spokesperson Sgt. Paul Parizek believes the shooting was planned, saying, “The incident was definitely targeted. It was not random. There was nothing random about this.”
“We are saddened to learn of another act of gun violence, especially one that impacts an organization that works closely with some of our students,” Des Moines interim superintendent Matt Smith said in a statement, obtained by the Associated Press. We are still waiting to learn more details, but our thoughts are with any victims of this incident and their families and friends.”
