Des Moines police officer shot by friendly fire asks about returning to work

A Des Moines police officer was shot by friendly fire, and a suspect was killed Tuesday morning during a domestic dispute investigation.

The injured officer, who is 37 years old and has four years of service with the Des Moines Police Department, was struck in the back of his shoulder in a gap of his body armor, and the bullet exited his chest, Sgt. Paul Parizek said. He was in serious but stable condition as of late morning.

Des Moines officers were dispatched to the 5800 block of Southeast 35th Circle for a report regarding a person violating a protective order around 3:30 a.m., Parizek said in a news release.

Police spotted the suspect's vehicle near the scene and attempted to stop the driver around 3:50 a.m., the news release said. The suspect fled from police, and the pursuit continued in the rain.

A few moments later, the suspect, identified as a 45-year-old man, fled westbound on East Army Post Road, appeared to lose control, left the roadway to the south and came to a stop, the news release said. Officers reported shots had been fired and a Des Moines officer was shot.

The two officers, who were driving alone in separate patrol cars when they arrived at the scene, had to deal with the weather and a fleeing suspect in an area that was overgrown with small trees, bushes and underbrush, Parizek told the Des Moines Register.

The Des Moines International Airport, about 6 miles to the west, recorded 0.56 inches of rain from 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. Tuesday. The metro was also under a severe thunderstorm warning with wind gusts up to 60 mph possible.

The injured officer, who was transported to UnityPoint Health - Iowa Methodist Medical Center, has been making strides in his recovery, Parizek said.

“He’s asking when he can come back to work and is up and walking around,” he said.

The other officer involved in the shooting was identified as a 23-year-old male with 10 months of service in the department.

'There was a lot of movement going on,' spokesperson says of moments before Des Moines officer was shot

Body camera footage showed the suspect pulling out a gun as the police approached him, Parizek said in a news release. The suspect raised the handgun toward his head and then suddenly pointed the gun at the officers, using a two-hand grip, the release said. The footage has not been released to the media.

Both officers fired their handguns at the suspect, Parizek said. The suspect and the 37-year-old officer were struck by gunfire. The injured officer was apparently hit by gunfire from the second officer. The suspect was shot by officers and died at the scene.

Although officers saw the body camera footage, the Iowa Department of Public Safety's Division of Criminal Investigation needs to investigate the footage thoroughly, Parizek told the Register.

It appeared that the officer who was shot may have moved into a position in front of the 23-year-old officer as he was retreating during the shooting, Parizek said.

“Body cameras are great for facts, but the depth on them isn’t really accurate,” Parizek said. “I think it’s fair to say that there was a lot of movement going on. One officer was retreating, they were in a foot chase, and then the suspect stops and suddenly turns. These things happen in a split second."

The 23-year-old officer, who has been placed on paid administrative leave, had just finished field training and was working a single patrol unit, Parizek said.

Friendly fire shooting cases between police officers are rare and don’t indicate that the officer had a lack of skills or received inadequate training, Parizek said.

“You don’t get to that point without meeting our standards,” Parizek said. “These are circumstances that just happen, and then tragedy sometimes occurs.”

Des Moines shooting suspect apparently from Nebraska, allegedly involved in domestic dispute

Investigators believe that the suspect was from Nebraska and had a previous relationship with the woman involved in the domestic dispute, Parizek said.

There were some “frightening circumstances” involving the suspect and his no-contact order with the victim, Parizek said.

The victim told police she dated the suspect years ago and had not been in contact with him for a considerable amount of time, Parizek said.

“She hadn’t heard anything from this guy until Friday, when he showed up in front of her garage,” Parizek said. “She immediately ran down and filed for a no-contact order.”

The suspect allegedly stole a car from Council Bluffs on July 25 and had license plates that were stolen from West Des Moines on Monday, Parizek said.

“There’s a lot of indication that had these cops not intervened in this, we might’ve been telling a different story with something violent happening to her,” Parizek said.

More information on the suspect is expected to be released Wednesday morning.

The Des Moines Police Department and the state Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating the shooting.

The name of the injured officer may be released when he is discharged from the hospital, and the 23-year-old officer’s name will be released at the end of the DCI’s investigation.

“The circumstance that we’re looking at right now does not diminish the courage and bravery of those cops that faced a deadly force threat against them,” Parizek said. “It’s a sad tragedy, it’s really bad, but we’re here to support our officers, all of them.”

José Mendiola is a breaking news reporter for the Register. Reach him at jmendiola@dmreg.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines police officer shot by friendly fire asks about returning to work