A triple shooting by drive-by at Des Moines East High School school grounds left two teenagers in critical condition and one dead.
Des Moines Police had executed five residential and six vehicle search warrants across the city, recovering six firearms allegedly used at the crime.
The teenagers detained for the incident were all charged as adults for first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Multiple shots were fired from multiple vehicles, according to police.
After the school lockdown and when officers gave the all-clear, students in East High school were dismissed from class for the remainder of the day.
According to news reports, police started to receive calls of a shooting at 2:48 pm.
Legacy media coverage is missing one aspect, though from the tragedy:
The Des Moines Public School District disbanded their School Resource Officer Program due to allegations of “Racism” from activist groups in May of 2020.
According to Axios, the SRO program formally ended at the start of the current 2021-2022 school year.
Des Moines is considered one of the few 33 school districts in the nation to have decided to disband their SRO program entirely in the wake of social justice reform in policing.
The job of a school resource officer is to build positive relationships with students while assisting school administrators with any disruptions and or criminal activity on school grounds.
According to survey conducted, Director of School Climate Transformation Jake Troja says only about 50% of DMPS students feel safe. Adds there has been an increase of fights, says police officers will not help fights but instead will led to charges @IAFieldReport #IaPolitics pic.twitter.com/JUxavVryMp
— Caleb Lillquist (@CLillquist) December 8, 2021
Ever since the move, Parents from the school district have voiced their concerns with the increased level of school-related violence that ironically sparked right after officers were suspended.
However, it is unclear how much Des Moines SROs have prevented delinquency and other juvenile-related crimes under recent data available.
Contrary views with fights in Des Moines Public Schools: Mother Lindsay LeGrange argues the need for SRO’s. “My children are afraid to go to school because of the constant fights and violence,” says LaGrange. One speaker proposes employees trained in “Anti-Racism” @IAFieldReport pic.twitter.com/5w2ZxtfDd2
— Caleb Lillquist (@CLillquist) December 7, 2021
However, those parents were outvoiced by local activists who claimed SROs pose a danger to African-American students.
Activist Jaylen Cavil, who pushed for the complete abolishment of police, urges activists to show up to tomorrow’s school board meeting to “keep cops out of school” despite surge of alleged violence in Des Moines public schools. @IAFieldReport #IaPolitics https://t.co/fkxmc9jmvw
— Caleb Lillquist (@CLillquist) December 6, 2021
According to police reports attained by Axios, multiple incidents in the Des Moines School District involved students using guns, knives, rocks, a brick, and a stun gun for fights posted on social media.
Speakers talk about negative SRO experiences in DMPS. Both sides appear to agree that violence in the school is an issue. Some speakers blame @KCCINews and reporter for recent article addressing student violence as “fear-mongering.” @IAFieldReport #IaPolitics pic.twitter.com/IxlzVWKfQm
— Caleb Lillquist (@CLillquist) December 8, 2021
Additionally, a local Burmese student, who was bullied at Merrill Middle school, died of suicide this past month while last October, middle school students in the DMPS district were also reported holding down a boy with autism while scribbling “loser” on his shirt.
