A postal employee shot two fellow employees at the main post office in Iowa’s capital Thursday morning, then was arrested without resistance on a nearby bike path, police said. A third employee was hurt in a fall while trying to escape.
None of the three injuries is believed to be life threatening, and all three victims are in stable condition, Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said.
What We Know So Far
Police began getting 911 calls around 9:10 a.m. at the post office at 1165 Second Ave., reporting an “active killer” on the second floor, which is not open to the public. Witnesses reported hearing 10 to 12 shots, Parizek said.
The first officer arrived about three minutes after the calls, and the incident lasted about 11 minutes from start to finish. The suspect, a 39 year old female Postal Service employee, left the building before officers arrived at 9:13 a.m. She was arrested without incident at 9:21 a.m. on a bike trail east of the post office after witnesses pointed her out, police said. A 9 mm handgun was recovered where she was detained.
Police identified her Thursday afternoon as Jennifer Pledger, according to the Des Moines Register. She is charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of willful injury causing serious injury and one count of intimidation with a dangerous weapon, all felonies, and is held at the Polk County Jail.
The three victims, all Postal Service employees, are a 45 year old woman, a 53 year old woman and a 55 year old man. The two women were shot and the man was hurt in a fall, Parizek said. The women drove themselves to MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center, across the street, and the man was taken there by a police officer. Their names have not been released.
What Authorities Are Saying
Parizek said witness and victim statements indicate the suspect opened fire on a group of employees, and that one woman fell after being struck. He said the suspect then approached her and fired again, and fired toward other employees as they fled.
“We’re secure right now,” Parizek told reporters less than an hour after the first calls, as police swept the building for other victims. Police have received no statements about a motive, he said.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said it is investigating with local, state and federal law enforcement, and federal agents from Kansas City, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, were on their way, Parizek said.
Nearby Carver Elementary School, the Des Moines Public Schools Welcome Center and the Central Nutrition Center barred entry and exit from 9:20 to 10 a.m. Second Avenue reopened around 10:45 a.m. The post office remains closed.
Mayor Connie Bosen called the law enforcement response “a decisive end to a dangerous situation.” Gov. Kim Reynolds said she was in contact with the Department of Public Safety and thanked police for the immediate response. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, Gov.-elect Rob Sand, Sen.-elect Josh Turek and Rep. Zach Nunn also expressed concern for those affected.
Differing Accounts
The accounts differ slightly on timing and on the hospital. The AP said the suspect was detained along a bike path and placed the arrest at 9:21 a.m., while the Register added that she left before officers arrived at 9:13 a.m. MercyOne did not confirm to the Register that it was treating any victims, and UnityPoint Health said it was not treating any.
The AP did not name the suspect in its first account, and the Register’s later update did.
Why This Matters
Past shootings at postal facilities have led the Postal Service to study employee safety. In 1986, a postal worker killed 14 coworkers in Edmond, Oklahoma, before killing himself. In 1991, a fired postal worker killed four former coworkers in Royal Oak, Michigan, before killing himself. A 2006 shooting in Goleta, California, killed six workers. A study released in 2000 made recommendations to flag violent tendencies and concluded that postal employees are less violent than the national workforce.
What Happens Next
The suspect is being held, and investigators are looking for a motive. The post office is closed, and a large police presence remained at the scene.
Sources: the Associated Press and the Des Moines Register
