Two students died and their teacher was seriously injured after a shooting at an educational program in Des Moines, Iowa. Police identified the injured man as the president of the program, a former R&B hip-hop artist who left a life of violence and gangs to help youth in the city.
In a news conference on Monday, police said they had charged a teenager with the shooting, and two others were in custody.
Eighteen-year-old Preston Walls, a Des Moines resident, was charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for the shootings. Authorities also charged him with criminal gang participation.
The fatal shootings occurred at the Starts Right Here Program, an alternative educational program that helps at-risk kids. The students start in grade nine up to 12 in the Des Moines school district.
Police said the shooting stemmed out of an ongoing gang dispute, and Walls was on supervised release. The 18-year-old had removed his ankle monitor about 15 minutes before the shooting.
Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek said the attack was targeted.
Although police did not publicly identify the victims, the two deceased were an 18-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy.
The injured program founder was identified as William Holmes, 49, an ex-rapper whose stage name was Will Keeps.
According to police, the three victims and Walls were at the school on Monday, January 23, when Walls entered a room where his three victims were meeting. Walls was carrying a 9 mm handgun with an extended ammunition magazine.
As Holmes tried to escort Walls from the area, Walls pulled away and started firing at the teenagers. Holmes, who was standing nearby, was also shot. Walls fled after the shooting.
Police received a 911 call about a shooting at the school at around 1 pm. Responding officers spotted a suspicious vehicle leaving the area. They stopped the car, but Walls got out and ran. Officers caught up with him a short while later and found a 9 mm handgun nearby.
Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie said the police found two teenagers in the vehicle with Walls and arrested them as well.
Speaking about gun violence in his city, the mayor said that the total number of families affected by gun violence in a matter of minutes in one afternoon was five. He said that gun violence was growing at an alarming rate in the country.
Responding officers found the two wounded teenagers in critical condition and performed CPR before rushing them to a nearby hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries.
According to the Greater Des Moines Partnership, the Starts Right Here Program encourages and educates youth living in oppressive or disadvantaged circumstances using entertainment, arts, hip-hop, music, and other programs.
Students in the program learn about financial literacy, communication, and job interview skills.