Suspect dead, 2 Des Moines police officers shot

DES MOINES, Iowa — A suspect is dead and two Des Moines police officers are hospitalized following an exchange of gunfire after a chase that ended in a crash early Monday morning on Des Moines’ east side.

Sgt. Paul Parizek of the Des Moines Police Department said DMPD patrol officers attempted a traffic stop near the 2500 block of Easton Boulevard around 1:40 a.m. and the driver refused to stop.

There was a short chase that followed. The driver turned north onto E. 24th Street and left the roadway, crashing the vehicle.

When officers tried to take the suspect into custody, he fired on them with a handgun. Sgt. Paraizek said multiple officers returned fire and the suspect, an adult male was hit. Police say he is deceased.

Two DMPD patrol officers were shot and both officers are hospitalized and expected to survive.

The names of the deceased suspect and the two officers who were injured have not been released.

“I mean, you know, when you look at this nationally, you got a cop shot about every 22 hours. So, I mean, this is the world we live in right now. Um, you know, we understand what the risks are when we when we come to work. And that’s the one thing that people count on, is that roll call was full last night. It’ll be full tonight. It’s going to be full this morning. Cops are going to keep coming to work and we’re going to keep doing what we need to do to keep this community safe,” said Sgt. Parizek.

The scene of the shooting, Easton Boulevard between E. 23rd Street and E. 25th Street, is temporarily closed while investigators gather evidence.

The Division of Criminal Investigation has been called in to join the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.

More information is expected to be released later Monday morning.

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