Shooting at Des Moines Charter School Leaves Two Students Dead

  • By Matt Jones
  • January 23, 2023

National news reports that two students were shot and killed at a Des Moines, Iowa, charter school on Monday afternoon. The school, Starts Right Here, specializes in education for disadvantaged students and has a close relationship with local police, according to NBC News. Police received a call at 12:50 p.m. CT and arrived at the school to find the two students and an adult employee wounded, said Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek. The employee is in stable condition.

“There was nothing random about this; it was certainly a targeted incident,” said Parizek. “As far as a motive, that’s something we are going to try to figure out.”

Parizek said that witnesses described a car feeling the scene, which officers pulled over 2 miles south of the school. Two people in the car surrendered to police, while the third escaped. A K-9 police unit assisted officers in capturing the third person, said Parizek.

Parizek said that “all three of the potential suspects are in custody” and are being questioned, NBC News reports.

“These are supposed to be our safe spaces, and this school in particular, it’s one that the police department works very closely with,” said Parizek. “The school is designed to pick up the slack and help kids who need the help the most, the ones who aren’t getting the services they need for a variety of different reasons. To have it happen here, it’s going to be a horrible impact on the community.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning and Campus Security and Life Safety. He can be reached at [email protected]

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