Postal worker accused of shooting 2 co-workers at Des Moines post office, police say
By Andy Rose, CNN
(CNN) — A US Postal Service employee is in custody on suspicion of shooting two co-workers at a large post office near downtown Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday morning, police said.
A third injured person – also a Postal Service employee – was hurt while trying to flee the shooting, which was reported on the second floor of the multistory facility around 9:10 a.m., Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek told reporters.
All three injured – two women and a man – were being treated at a hospital, and all injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening, Parizek said.
The suspect, a woman who works for the Postal Service, was taken into custody just outside of the building, Parizek said. The shooting took place in a non-public part of the postal facility, he said.
Besides the two postal workers who were shot, a third “had a fall injury as trying to get away from the situation inside the building,” Parizek said. The names of the suspect and the injured and details about what led to the shooting were not immediately released.
“A lot of questions came in about what the suspect’s motive was. We don’t have any information on that right now,” Parizek said.
CNN has sought comment from the US Postal Service.
The facility is just north of downtown Des Moines, about a mile from the state capitol building.
Emergency responders in tactical helmets were seen on scene along with more than a dozen law enforcement vehicles, video from CNN affiliate WOI showed.
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were responding to the incident, the agency said.
“My prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this tragedy,” US Rep. Zach Nunn, whose district includes Des Moines, posted to Facebook Thursday. “Grateful to the law enforcement officers and first responders on the scene.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Chris Boyette, Kara Devlin, Vivian Phillips and Jeff Zeleny contributed to this report.
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