Woman shot and killed in Fort Dodge, police seek man for questioning

FORT DODGE – A woman shot and killed in Fort Dodge Wednesday afternoon and police are seeking a man for questioning.

At approximately 2:05 PM Wednesday afternoon, the Webster County Telecommunications Center received a call of an individual that was shot at the address of 526 South 19th Street. Information provided indicated that a female was shot at that location and was in unknown condition. Both the Fort Dodge Police and Fire Department initially responded to the scene.

When officers arrived on scene, they located one unresponsive female victim with what appeared to be a gunshot wound at the residence. First responders began life‐saving efforts on the female, but she was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene, verified by the Medical Examiner.

Pending proper notification of the victim’s family, the female’s name is not being released.

At this time officers are attempting to locate Justin Christopher Hurdel (43) of Fort Dodge for questioning regarding this incident. Anyone with information regarding this incident or the whereabouts of Mr. Hurdel are strongly encouraged to contact the Police Department.

The Fort Dodge Police Department was assisted on scene by the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, the Fort Dodge Fire Department, and the Iowa State Patrol and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations.

UPDATE: At approximately 6:50 AM Thursday morning, the Webster County Telecommunications Center received information of a suspicious male in the area of Quail Avenue/P59 and Nelson Ave, an area just north of the junction of Highway 20 and County Road P59. The description of the male matched the description Justin Hurdel. Officers with the Fort Dodge Police Department, the Webster County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa State Patrol responded to the area to begin a search. When they arrived on scene, the male had left the area where he was originally observed. At that point, K9 Swamper with the Webster County Sheriff’s Office was deployed to begin a track on the suspect. After a short period, Swamper was able to track a scent to a nearby shed where Mr. Hurdel was located and taken into custody without incident.  Hurdel was transported to Unity Point – Trinity Regional Medical Center for injuries sustained prior to law enforcement contact. He will be booked into the Webster County Jail to await his initial appearance.

Not long before this, in a separate incident, a woman was shot and killed by law enforcement in Fort Dodge.