WEST DES MOINES – An Iowa carnvial held this week was rocked by fights and gunfire, and cops struggled to keep folks safe.
On Wednesday, June 15th, officers from the West Des Moines Police responded to two large fights and a report of shots being fired at a carnival event, attended by over a thousand people, in the parking lot of Valley West Mall in West Des Moines. The first fight was reported around 2112 hours and was deescalated by an officer working at the event. Due to the size of the crowd and activity, additional officers were assigned to the area and were able to respond to another large fight where shots were fired by an unknown person around 9:34 PM.
During the investigation, westbound traffic on Interstate 235 was shut down briefly with assistance from the Clive and Windsor Heights police departments as officers searched for suspects on foot and using a K9 team. During the search, a handgun believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered.
No shooting victims were identified; however, a juvenile male was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries sustained during the second fight.
A juvenile male involved in the second fight was identified and charged with assault and interference with official acts.
Officials worked with the carnival event promoters to provide additional police staffing throughout the rest of the event.
The incident remains under active investigation and people who have information are encouraged to contact the West Des Moines Police Department.
