Des Moines, Iowa: Three Injured in Shooting at Main Post Office, Suspect Detained

Updated: suspect named and charged

Police have named the suspect as Jennifer Christine Pledger, 39, of West Des Moines, and she has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of willful injury causing serious injury and one count of intimidation with a dangerous weapon, Sgt. Paul Parizek said. All of the counts are felonies, and Pledger is being held at the Polk County Jail. Police said they have no information about a motive, and that Pledger had made no comments about one.

Des Moines Public Schools said police notified the district at 9:20 a.m., and a nearby elementary school, welcome center and nutrition center were placed on secure status until police told the district at 10:00 a.m. that a suspect was in custody. Governor-elect Rob Sand said his thoughts were with the Iowans affected by what he called a senseless act of violence, in a statement reported by KCRG.

Updated: suspect is a postal employee, arrested on a nearby bike trail

Police clarified in an afternoon update that the suspect is a 39-year-old female Postal Service employee who shot two of her co-workers inside the facility. A third employee, a 55-year-old man, was injured in a fall while trying to escape. The two women who were shot are 45 and 53 years old. All three injured employees are in stable condition, and none of the injuries is believed to be life threatening.

The suspect left the building before officers arrived at 9:13 a.m. Witnesses pointed her out, and officers from the Fifth Judicial District arrested her without incident at 9:21 a.m. on a bike trail east of the post office. A 9-millimetre gun was recovered where she was arrested. The shooting happened in a non-public area on the second floor, and initial reports said 10 to 12 shots were fired. The two injured women drove themselves to MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center, across the street from the post office, and the injured man was taken there by a police officer.

Police had not identified the suspect or charged her with any crimes as of 2:20 p.m. on Thursday, and they gave no motive. "A lot of questions came in about what the suspect's motive was. We don't have any information on that right now," Sgt. Paul Parizek said, in remarks reported by CNN. The US Postal Inspection Service said: "At this time, there is no ongoing risk to the public and no further details can be provided while this is an ongoing investigation."

Three people were injured on Thursday morning in a shooting on the second floor of the main post office in Des Moines, Iowa, and a suspect was detained just outside the building, Des Moines police said.

Reports of shots fired at the United States Postal Service office at 1165 Second Avenue started coming in around 9:10 a.m. local time, Sgt. Paul Parizek of the Des Moines Police Department told reporters at the scene. He said the department received multiple phone calls from inside the post office reporting that someone was shooting on the second floor.

The first officer arrived about three and a half minutes after the reports were received, Parizek said. Officers detained the suspect just outside the post office, which sits just north of downtown Des Moines, about a mile from the state capitol building.

Injuries not believed to be life threatening

All three injured people were taken for hospital care. Parizek said none of the injuries appeared to be life threatening. "They're all at the hospital, they are being cared for right now," he said, in remarks reported by the Associated Press. He added: "I didn't see anything that indicated anyone had any life-threatening injuries."

One of the injured people got to MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center on their own, the Des Moines Register reported. The medical center is directly across the street from the post office. A UnityPoint spokesperson told the Register that UnityPoint Health Iowa Methodist Medical Center was not treating any patients from the shooting.

Police did not immediately release the names of the suspect or of the people who were injured, and they gave no motive for the shooting.

Scene secured, search follows protocol

Initial police reports described an active shooter. Parizek said police did not believe there was a second shooter, but officers were searching areas of the building under protocol to make sure no one else was hiding. "We're secure right now," he said.

Video from CNN affiliate WOI showed emergency responders in tactical helmets at the scene, along with more than a dozen law enforcement vehicles. A reporter for the Register saw vehicles from the Des Moines Police Department, the Pleasant Hill Police Department, the Polk County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa State Patrol, along with fire department vehicles and ambulances.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said she was in contact with the Department of Public Safety about the shooting. "The suspected shooter is in custody and the investigation is ongoing," she posted online, according to the Associated Press.

Streets closed around the post office

Police asked the public to avoid the area around Second Avenue and University Avenue while the investigation continues. Second Avenue was closed in both directions, the Register reported, with East 14th Street and Sixth Avenue as the nearest alternatives.

The investigation is ongoing. Police had not said by late morning what led to the shooting, and no charges had been announced.