Des Moines police have identified the teenager killed in a weekend shooting as 17-year-old Timothy Durand Lee III.
In a Monday, April 27 news release, Des Moines police spokesperson Sgt. Paul Parizek said detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Saturday incident.
Officers responded just before 3:30 p.m. on April 25 to the 3500 block of East Seventh Street in Des Moines’ Highland Park neighborhood after a 911 caller reported a person down in a yard.
Responding officers found a teenage boy with a gunshot wound and provided first aid until Des Moines Fire Department medics arrived and took over care.
The teen was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, where he died that evening.
Police have charged Jose Luis Rodriguez, 20, with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting.
According to investigators, evidence including witness statements and video recordings indicates Rodriguez arrived at the scene in a vehicle, got out armed with a handgun and began arguing with Lee before opening fire.
“The victim fell to the ground and pulled a handgun he possessed, and fired multiple rounds at Rodriguez,” Parizek said in a news release. “Rodriguez was not hit and fled the scene.”
A handgun was recovered at the scene, police said.
Investigators used witness accounts, video evidence and license plate reader data to identify the vehicle Rodriguez allegedly used. Detectives later located the vehicle parked nearby with its license plates removed and “a bullet hole in it,” according to police. The vehicle was impounded.
Further investigation, including additional video evidence, led detectives to a residence in the River Bend neighborhood where Rodriguez was believed to be staying. He was taken into custody around 2 a.m. Sunday and is being held at the Polk County Jail.
Lee’s death marks the 11th homicide in Des Moines in 2026, Parizek said.
Police first said the victim was 16 years old, but clarified Monday that the date of birth they were provided was incorrect.
Nick El Hajj is a reporter at the Register. He can be reached at nelhajj@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @nick_el_hajj.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Police identify teen killed in Des Moines weekend shooting
Reporting by Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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