A school shooting incident occurred in Iowa, eventually killing two teenage students.
Another school shooting hit the country; this time, the targets were part of an educational program to help children and young adults at risk.
One of the suspects was identified as Preston Walls, 18. Walls was arrested later that night and charged with one count of involvement in a criminal gang, one count of attempted murder, and two counts of murder.
Des Moines Police received a call notifying them about a possible shooting situation at Starts Right Here at 12:50 p.m.
The police department immediately responded and performed life-saving procedures on the three injured victims.
Iowa Des Moines School Shooting
According to NBC News, first responders rushed to the school around 1 p.m. and saw three victims.
Two of them were teenagers who were critically injured. At the scene, life-saving attempts were made, but the two students were eventually confirmed dead at the hospital.
William Holmes, a rapper who performs under the stage name William Keeps, was identified as the third victim at the crime scene.
Holmes is affiliated with the schools in the Des Moines area and is the founder of the educational initiative known as Starts Right Here. The educational program caters to helping at-risk youth.
When Holmes attempted to escort Walls, who had entered a common area of the program, out, the shooter reportedly pulled away and began shooting Holmes and two other victims.
The evidence suggested that Walls and the victims were members of rival gangs at the time these crimes were committed.
Police said they found evidence that these crimes were committed as part of an ongoing fight between two gangs.
Witnesses provided the police with a description of the fleeing vehicle, which allowed the authorities to locate the suspects.
As per the New York Post, three juvenile suspects were taken into custody immediately after the shooting when the police officers stopped a car approximately two miles away from the location of the incident.
Targeted school shooting
According to ABC, Des Moines Public Schools provide two services. The first is to assist children in re-engaging in the district's Options Academy credit recovery program.
The second is to assist students who are no longer enrolled in a school due to behavioral difficulties.
The school program focuses on working with teenagers impacted by real-life difficulties. The purpose of the school is to fill in the gaps and assist the children in areas where they need the most help.
This is also one of the reasons why countless individuals in the community feel that this shooting at the school was not just an accident but rather an intentional act of violence against a certain group of people.
Mike Beranek, the Iowa State Education Association president, has issued a plea for public authorities to adopt effective methods to prevent gun violence and pursue tangible solutions that would keep kids and school employees safe.
As the investigation is still ongoing, the interim superintendent of the Des Moines Public Schools, Matt Smith, stated that they are still waiting to acquire more information.
