Early Monday morning, a tragic shootout in Des Moines, Iowa, resulted in two police officers being hospitalized and a suspect losing his life, according to Des Moines police officials.
The incident unfolded at approximately 1:40 a.m. when patrol officers initiated a traffic stop on a 37-year-old driver for an equipment violation. Upon pulling over in a parking lot, the driver abruptly sped away as officers exited their patrol vehicles, as detailed in a news release by police Sgt. Paul Parizek.
Shortly after the driver crashed, officers managed to block his 2005 Ford Focus from fleeing the scene. Despite their attempts to apprehend the driver, he resisted, prompting officers to employ a Taser. Subsequently, a physical altercation ensued as officers tried to extract the driver from the vehicle.
During the struggle, the driver brandished a handgun and opened fire on the officers. In response, three officers returned fire, resulting in the fatal shooting of the suspect.
Tragically, two officers sustained gunshot wounds and were swiftly transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. One officer sustained a gunshot wound to the head, while the other was shot in the arm. The officer with the head injury underwent surgery and is currently in critical but stable condition. Fortunately, both officers are expected to pull through.
It was revealed that both injured officers had recently joined the police department in 2022. Des Moines police, in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Public Safety, are actively investigating the incident to gather further details and determine the sequence of events leading to the shootout.
