A teen is in critical condition after a shooting in downtown Des Moines late Friday night, after the teen committed an armed robbery.
Police received reports of gunfire and a person down near the Pappajohn Sculpture Park at 14th Street and Grand Avenue just after 11 p.m. Friday, according to a news release from police spokesperson Sgt. Paul Parizek. Upon arrival, officers found a teen critically injured by gunfire.
Nineteen officers responded to the scene, Parizek told the Register. The incident was unrelated to the nearby CelebrAsian festival.
“His injuries are definitely life-threatening,” Parizek said.
Officers took life-saving measures on the scene before the Des Moines Fire Department EMS transported him to the UnityPoint Methodist Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition, according to a Saturday update from Parizek.
A Facebook post from the Des Moines Police Department Saturday morning said, “Almost nightly, large, disruptive, and sometimes violent crowds of teens and young adults swarm our downtown parks, trails, sidewalks and roadways.”
“Responding to this chaos drains officers from neighborhoods throughout the city, stretching already limited resources even thinner,” the post reads. “At the center of that challenge is an authorized staffing level that is inadequate for the demands our officers face and cannot continue to be overlooked.”
The teen, a 17-year-old boy who remains unnamed, was determined by witness statements and video recordings to have been a member of a group that committed the armed robbery of a 22-year-old man. who also remains unnamed, while he was in a parked car, Parizek said. One of the suspects of the robbery was armed with a handgun. It is not yet known how many were in the group.
The teen stole a gun from the 22-year-old, who was armed with a second gun. There was an exchange of gunfire, and the teen was shot. Police have not released how many shots were fired. Two guns were recovered from the scene.
Parizek said the incident was not gang-related, although there were gang members present.
The 22-year-old stayed on the scene and cooperated with officers. He was detained but later released without criminal charges after consultation with the Polk County Attorney’s Office, Parizek said.
Police continue to investigate the incident.
Kyle Werner is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Teen in critical condition after downtown Des Moines robbery, shooting
Reporting by Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
