East High School shooting

2022 shooting in Des Moines, Iowa

East High School shooting

Location| East High School, Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Date| March 7, 2022

Attack type

| School shooting, gang violence (alleged), mass shooting, drive-by shooting
Deaths| 1
Injured| 2
Assailants| 6 teenage males
Charges| First-degree murder, attempted murder (2 counts)

On March 7, 2022, after 2:40 pm, a shooting occurred within the vicinity of East High School in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S, right before school was being dismissed for the day. At least 35 gunshots were fired out of at least three vehicles.

One 15-year-old boy was killed, and two female students were critically wounded. By the next few hours, six teenage males were arrested, ranging from ages 14 to 17, and charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder: four charged in adult court, and two in juvenile court.[1][2]

The shooting was described by police as having gang overtones, having stemmed from an ongoing violent conflict between two rival Iowa Hispanic gangs.

## Contents

* 1 Shooting
* 2 Investigation
* 3 Victims
* 4 Aftermath
* 5 References

## Shooting[edit]

Around 2:40 p.m., neighborhood camera footage captured the shooting. Footage showed a group of five teenagers gathering near a curb when three vehicles passed by. The vehicles suddenly returned, with the occupants inside firing multiple shots at the group. Multiple 911 calls were then made at approximately 2:50 p.m.[3]

Investigators recovered about 20 spent shell casings at the shooting site and found another 15 in the vehicles that the Des Moines Police Department said were used in the shooting.[4]

## Investigation[edit]

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) of Kansas City arrived on the scene and provided assistance in the investigation. Other agencies assisting with the investigation included: the Iowa State Patrol (ISP), the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the FBI, and the Des Moines Public Schools Department of Public Safety.[5] Multiple search warrants were executed, and six guns were recovered.[6] By March 30, several teenagers were arrested in connection with the shooting.[7] In September one of the teens pled guilty to second-degree murder as part of a plea bargain.[8][9]

## Victims[edit]

The victim killed was Jose David Lopez, a 15-year-old non-student of the school. He was a student of another Des Moines high school who was visiting the campus. Police say he was the intended target of the shooting, with the two female victims not intended targets, aged 16 and 18. The two female victims were both shot in the head and critically injured, and were students at the school.[10] In a late March 2022 article by 12NewsNow, an 18-year-old victim (Kemery Ortega) hit in the head with a bullet was making a recovery, and was planning on leaving the hospital soon. She however still may have fragments or much of the bullet still lodged in her skull. The other girl wounded was also still critically injured as of late March but was on the mend.[11]

## Aftermath[edit]

U.S. President Joe Biden released a statement regarding the shooting and the greater violence issue in American society.[12]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Sahouri, Andrea May (March 8, 2022). "Victim identified, 6 teens charged with murder in fatal shooting outside East High School". Tennessean.com/Des Moines Register.
2. ^ "Teenager dead, two in critical condition after shooting outside Iowa high school -police". Reuters. 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
3. ^ Beck, Margery A.; Mcfetridge, Scott (March 8, 2022). "6 teens arrested in Iowa school shooting that killed 1". CTV News via Associated Press.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
4. ^ Morris, William (March 10, 2022). "Four teenaged suspects in Monday's fatal East High Shooting ordered, held on $1.05 million bond". Des Moines Register.
5. ^ Amir Vera, Joe Sutton and Jenn Selva. "Des Moines, Iowa school shooting". CNN.
6. ^ "East High School shooting, Des Moines". New York Times.
7. ^ https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2022/03/30/more-teens-charged-shooting-outside-des-moines-east-high-school/7213196001/
8. ^ https://www.whec.com/national-world/iowa-high-school-shooting-defendant-takes-plea-deal/
9. ^ https://www.kcci.com/article/teenager-accused-in-deadly-shooting-outside-east-high-enters-guilty-plea-manuel-buezo/41488820#
10. ^ Hutchinson, Bill (March 8, 2022). "Multiple shot at Des Moines, Iowa high school". ABC News.
11. ^ "Kemery Ortega, East High School shooting victim returns home, recovering". KBMT-LD.
12. ^ "Statement by Joe Biden about shooting at East High School". WhiteHouse.gov.

* v
* t
* e

School shootings in the United States

Prior to 2000 (full list)|

| 1960s|

* University of Texas (1966)
* Rose-Mar College of Beauty (1966)

|

1970s|

* Olean High School (1974)
* California State University, Fullerton (1976)
* Cleveland Elementary School (1979)

1980s|

* 49th Street Elementary School (1984)
* Murray–Wright High School (1985)
* Cokeville Elementary School (1986)
* Murray–Wright High School (1987)
* Pinellas Park High School (1988)
* Oakland Elementary School (1988)
* Cleveland Elementary School (1989)

1990s|

* University of Iowa (1991)
* Lindhurst High School (1992)
* East Carter High School (1993)
* Wickliffe Middle School (1994)
* Blackville–Hilda High School (1995)
* Richland High School (1995)
* Frontier Middle School (1996)
* San Diego State University (1996)
* Bethel Regional High School (1997)
* Pearl High School (1997)
* Heath High School (1997)
* Westside Middle School (1998)
* Parker Middle School (1998)
* Thurston High School (1998)
* Columbine High School (1999)

2000 to present (full list)|

| 2000s|

* Buell Elementary School (2000)
* University of Arkansas (2000)
* Santana High School (2001)
* Appalachian School of Law (2002)
* John McDonogh High School (2003)
* Case Western Reserve University (2003)
* Rocori High School (2003)
* Red Lake (2005)
* Campbell County High School (2005)
* Pine Middle School (2006)
* Platte Canyon High School (2006)
* Weston High School (2006)
* West Nickel Mines School (2006)
* Virginia Tech (2007)
* Delaware State University (2007)
* SuccessTech Academy (2007)
* Northern Illinois University (2008)
* E.O. Junior High School (2008)
* University of Central Arkansas (2008)

|

2010s|

* University of Alabama in Huntsville (2010)
* Chardon High School (2012)
* Oikos University (2012)
* Sandy Hook Elementary School (2012)
* Santa Monica College (2013)
* Sparks Middle School (2013)
* Marysville Pilchuck High School (2014)
* Umpqua Community College (2015)
* Northern Arizona University (2015)
* University of California, Los Angeles (2016)
* Townville Elementary School (2016)
* North Park Elementary School (2017)
* Rancho Tehama Elementary School (2017)
* Aztec High School (2017)
* Marshall County High School (2018)
* Stoneman Douglas High School (2018)
* Santa Fe High School (2018)
* Noblesville West Middle School (2018)
* University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2019)
* STEM School Highlands Ranch (2019)
* Saugus High School (2019)

2020s|

* Oxford High School (2021)
* East High School (2022)
* Robb Elementary School (2022)
* Rusdale High School (2022)
* Central Visual and Performing Arts High School (2022)
* University of Virginia (2022)

Related terms and topics|

* Active shooter
* Columbine effect
* Gun violence in the United States
* List of school shootings in the United States by death toll
* Mass shootings in the United States
* "'No Way to Prevent This', Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens"
* Thoughts and prayers
* School shooting

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