Three Injured as Postal Worker Fires 10 to 12 Shots in Des Moines
Officers secured the suspect within minutes of the gunfire, which occurred in a staff-only area of the downtown facility.
By Kofi Costa ·
A female postal employee shot two coworkers at a Des Moines post office on Thursday morning before police took her into custody.
Witnesses reported hearing 10 to 12 shots fired on the second floor of the building, an area not open to the public. A third employee was injured after falling while attempting to escape the scene. Des Moines Police Sergeant Paul Parizek stated that none of the three victims, two women and one man, were believed to be in life-threatening condition. All three were transported to a hospital for care.
Police responded to the call within three minutes of the incident. Officers located the suspect along a nearby bike path and detained her without resistance. The post office is located just north of downtown Des Moines, directly across the street from a major city hospital.
The shooting temporarily impacted nearby schools. Des Moines Public Schools locked down a local elementary school, a welcome center, and a nutrition center after receiving a police notification at 9:20 a.m. The district lifted the lockdown status at 10 a.m. when police confirmed the suspect was in custody.
Governor Kim Reynolds confirmed she was in contact with the Department of Public Safety regarding the event. In an online post, Reynolds said state officials were monitoring the situation and expressed gratitude for the immediate law enforcement response. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service was contacted for comment on Thursday but had not yet provided a statement.
