Des Moines Man Arrested for Shooting Gun Near River 2025-04-24

A Des Moines man, F., is in jail facing felony charges after police say he shot a gun in a wooded area near the Des Moines River. Officers responded to the report of gunfire around 5 p.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Vermont Street and Washington Avenue. They say they found 38-year-old F. arguing with a female. F. left the scene on a bicycle, and officers caught up to him and made the arrest near the 2nd Avenue River bridge. Police say they found evidence of gunfire at a campsite in the wooded area. F. now faces multiple charges, including felon in possession of a firearm, discharging firearms within the city limits, along with active warrants for methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia possession. He's being held in the Polk County jail.

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Stalking

Iowa Man Charged with Stalking and Threatening Mass Shooting at ISU Commencement 2025-04-24

Tanner B., a Nevada, Iowa man, is charged with stalking his ex-girlfriend, who he had dated for about 10 years. Federal court documents said the pair broke up in October of 2024. The documents claim B. sent multiple threatening text and voice messages to the victim between January 26th and April 15th in 2025, including threats to beat the victim and murder her by shooting her in the head. Some of the messages contained threats of a mass shooting at the Iowa State University commencement ceremony on May 16th, 2025. On April 16th, the Iowa DNR notified Iowa State University Police about an individual shooting at a printed-out Facebook photo of a person at an Iowa City shooting range, and B.'s vehicle was spotted by a license plate reader as being in Iowa City around the time of the incident. B. was arrested on multiple state charges of first-degree harassment and stalking – possession of dangerous weapon. A search of B.'s car and residence turned up a Glock pistol and a Winchester 12-gauge shotgun as well as ammunition, and investigators found a printout with details about the ISU commencement ceremony taped to his bathroom mirror, as well as the date, May 16th, handwritten below the information. B. is being held in federal custody, and a detention hearing is scheduled for May 1st at the Federal Courthouse in Des Moines.

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Carjacking

Facebook Marketplace Sale Ends in Carjacking at Gunpoint in Des Moines 2025-04-24

Des Moines police are issuing a warning to everyone after a Facebook marketplace sale ended in a carjacking at gunpoint. A 19-year-old woman was trying to sell a 2017 Dodge Challenger and met up with a potential buyer in a Des Moines parking lot for a test drive. As soon as the potential buyer put the car in drive, he took off speeding out of the parking lot. A few blocks later, he's accused of pointing a gun at the woman and telling her to get out of the car. Police found the car in Ames and arrested a 17-year-old. The car was badly damaged. Sergeant Paul Parizek with the Des Moines police department said there's a smart way to sell expensive items on the Facebook marketplace, such as meeting at the police station, where there are cameras and cops all over the place, to avoid such criminal incidents.

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