Two students were killed and the founder of an educational program for at-risk youth was injured in a “targeted” shooting at a Des Moines school on Monday afternoon, authorities said.
The deadly shooting took place at the educational program Starts Right Here, which was founded by local rapper William Holmes, and is connected to the Des Moines school system.
First responders rushed to the school around 1 p.m. and found two teenage students critically injured. Life-saving measures were taken at the scene, but the two students were later pronounced dead at the hospital, police said.
Holmes, whose stage name is William Keeps, was also wounded.
Des Moines police and local officials said that three teenage suspects were taken into custody after cops pulled over a car about two miles from the scene shortly after the shooting. One suspect fled from the car, but was tracked down with a K-9, police said.
Later Monday night, one of the suspects, 18-year-old Preston Walls, was charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of criminal gang participation, the Des Moines Register reported, citing police.
Walls entered a common area at the program with a handgun and then started shooting after Keeps tried to escort him out, police reportedly said.
Keeps was in surgery Monday evening, police said.
“The incident was definitely targeted. It was not random. There was nothing random about this,” Sgt. Paul Parizek said.
Starts Right Here involves working with “urban youth who have been touched with real-life challenges,” according to the program’s website. The program, connected to the Des Moines school system, got underway in 2021 and helps teens in grades 9-12.
“The school is designed to pick up the slack and help the kids who need help the most,” Parizek said.
The Des Moines school system said no school faculty member was at the scene at the time of the shooting.
“We are saddened to learn of another act of gun violence, especially one that impacts an organization that works closely with some of our students,” Interim Superintendent Matt Smith. “We are still waiting to learn more details, but our thoughts are with any victims of this incident and their families and friends.”
Keeps came to Des Moines two decades ago from Chicago, where he “lived in a world of gangs of violence” before he was healed through music, according to the economic and community development organization called the Greater Des Moines Partnership.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is on the Starts Right Here advisory board, said she was heartbroken by the shooting.
“I’ve seen first-hand how hard Will Keeps and his staff works to help at-risk kids through this alternative education program,” Reynolds said in a statement. “My heart breaks for them, these kids and their families. Kevin and I are praying for their safe recovery.”
Nicole Krantz, who works near the school, witnessed someone fleeing from the building with police officers giving chase on foot and in patrol cars. Her office was placed on lockdown during the scary moment.
“We just saw a lot of cop cars pouring in from everywhere,” Krantz said to the Des Moines Register. “It’s terrifying. We’re all worried. We went on lockdown, obviously. We were all told to stay away from the windows because we weren’t sure if they caught the guy.”
With Post wires
