Two Des Moines, Iowa Police Officers Killed in Apparent Ambush Attacks … Suspects Still At Large

POLICE LIVES MATTER!!!

WHO-TV is reporting that two police officers were killed overnight in what is being called as an “ambush-style attack” in Des Moines, Iowa. The incident started at 1:06 a.m. Wednesday with a report of shots fired near 70th and Aurora. The first officer who arrived at that scene found an Urbandale police officer suffering from a gunshot wound. About 20 minutes later, a Des Moines police officer was found shot at the intersection of Merle Hay Road and Sheridan Drive. The names of the officers who were killed have not been released at this time in order to contact and notify their families first. So far, there has been no information about a potential suspect or suspects released by police. There have been no information on a suspect and no arrests have been made at this time.

VIDEO – ABC Action News

Two metro police officers are dead following what is being called an “ambush-style attack” and police say there is a “clear and present danger to police officers right now.”

According to Des Moines police the incident started at 1:06 a.m. Wednesday with a report of shots fired near 70th and Aurora. The first officer who arrived at that scene found an Urbandale police officer in his patrol vehicle, suffering from a gunshot wound. Twenty minutes later a Des Moines police officer was found shot in his patrol vehicle at the intersection of Merle Hay Road and Sheridan Drive. Both officers have died from their wounds.

VIDEO – AP

Des Moines Police are describing the shootings as ambush-style attacks.

At an early morning news conference Sgt. Paul Parizek with the Des Moines Police Department called the attacks a “cowardly act.” He also said, “Somebody out there is shooting police officers. We hope we find him before anybody else gets hurt, we definitely don’t want any of the public, in the community to get hurt but there is a clear and present danger to police officers right now.”

UPDATE I: Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek discusses the ambush … “There is a clear and present danger to police officers right now.”

As of a 5 a.m. press conference, police were still notifying the family members of the slain officers and planned to withhold the officers’ names, years of service and other details until later in the day, Parizek said.

Streets at both shooting scenes are closed as officers investigate, and classes have been canceled at Urbandale schools today. In Urbandale, the intersection of 70th Street and Aurora Avenue is closed, and in Des Moines, Merle Hay Road is closed between Urbandale Avenue and Hickman Road.

Police had no information on suspects as of 5 a.m. They could not say how many shots were fired or how many people may have been shooting.