A pair of shootings happened just minutes and blocks apart Wednesday, and Des Moines police said the second round of gunfire was likely in retaliation for the first.
One person was injured in the shootings and a house was pierced by three bullets, police said.
A report of gunfire sent officers to Jordan Park on the city’s southeast side at 2:38 a.m. Wednesday. They found a cartridge casing by a wading pool, a bloody paper towel near the bathrooms and a trail of blood starting south of the park and ending in the 5800 block of Southeast Seventh Court, police said.
Five minutes later, the officers heard gunfire and dispatchers received a call saying someone had shot at a house in the 4700 block of Southeast Seventh Street.
Three bullets had struck the home and two had entered the house, landing in the entryway and an upstairs bathroom. Officers found seven cartridge casings in the street.
Shortly after that, an 18-year-old arrived at Mercy Medical Center with gunshot wounds to his ankle and wrist, police said.
Several people told police conflicting stories. But based on evidence at the scene and statements from witnesses, the shooting victim and a teenage boy inside the house that was shot at, police think this is what happened:
A fight began at a party the shooting victim said was on the city’s north side. The teens fighting decided to continue fighting elsewhere and they, along with several others, went to Jordan Park.
“Why they chose Jordan Park, we don’t know,” said Des Moines Police Sgt. Jason Halifax.
When it became clear to one teen that he would lose the fight, he shouted to a friend who produced a gun and pointed it at a bystander.
That person fled but was hit by two bullets. Someone drove him to the hospital. At Mercy, he told police he was not involved in the fight, and investigators haven’t determined why he was targeted.
The teen who was on the losing end of the fight went to his house in the 4700 block of Southeast Seventh Street with a friend, but quickly left through the back door.
Minutes later, a group of people took shots at the house. Police presume they are friends of the shooting victim.
At least nine shots were fired, police said.
Halifax said police didn’t have an indication that the fight was related to a longer-term conflict.
Although the incident might not be linked with a string of shots-fired incidents this spring, several characteristics — teenagers bringing out guns to retaliate after a real or perceived slight — are similar.
Officers will increase patrols in the Jordan Park area.
“Obviously that park’s on our radar now. We’ll spend more time patrolling the area,” Halifax said.
Before Wednesday, officers had answered calls to Jordan Park 11 times this year, beginning in April. Almost every call was for disturbing the peace.
Investigators were able to recover useful surveillance footage from a camera on a neighbor’s house and said they were looking for witnesses or participants in the fight to come forward.
“Indications are that many people were at the park. Someone knows who did the shooting,” Halifax said. “We want to talk to them.”
One person was injured in the shootings and a house was pierced by three bullets, police said.
A report of gunfire sent officers to Jordan Park on the city’s southeast side at 2:38 a.m. Wednesday. They found a cartridge casing by a wading pool, a bloody paper towel near the bathrooms and a trail of blood starting south of the park and ending in the 5800 block of Southeast Seventh Court, police said.
Five minutes later, the officers heard gunfire and dispatchers received a call saying someone had shot at a house in the 4700 block of Southeast Seventh Street.
Three bullets had struck the home and two had entered the house, landing in the entryway and an upstairs bathroom. Officers found seven cartridge casings in the street.
Shortly after that, an 18-year-old arrived at Mercy Medical Center with gunshot wounds to his ankle and wrist, police said.
Several people told police conflicting stories. But based on evidence at the scene and statements from witnesses, the shooting victim and a teenage boy inside the house that was shot at, police think this is what happened:
A fight began at a party the shooting victim said was on the city’s north side. The teens fighting decided to continue fighting elsewhere and they, along with several others, went to Jordan Park.
“Why they chose Jordan Park, we don’t know,” said Des Moines Police Sgt. Jason Halifax.
When it became clear to one teen that he would lose the fight, he shouted to a friend who produced a gun and pointed it at a bystander.
That person fled but was hit by two bullets. Someone drove him to the hospital. At Mercy, he told police he was not involved in the fight, and investigators haven’t determined why he was targeted.
The teen who was on the losing end of the fight went to his house in the 4700 block of Southeast Seventh Street with a friend, but quickly left through the back door.
Minutes later, a group of people took shots at the house. Police presume they are friends of the shooting victim.
At least nine shots were fired, police said.
Halifax said police didn’t have an indication that the fight was related to a longer-term conflict.
Although the incident might not be linked with a string of shots-fired incidents this spring, several characteristics — teenagers bringing out guns to retaliate after a real or perceived slight — are similar.
Officers will increase patrols in the Jordan Park area.
“Obviously that park’s on our radar now. We’ll spend more time patrolling the area,” Halifax said.
Before Wednesday, officers had answered calls to Jordan Park 11 times this year, beginning in April. Almost every call was for disturbing the peace.
Investigators were able to recover useful surveillance footage from a camera on a neighbor’s house and said they were looking for witnesses or participants in the fight to come forward.
“Indications are that many people were at the park. Someone knows who did the shooting,” Halifax said. “We want to talk to them.”
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