Des Moines police shoot, kill armed 16-year-old during domestic dispute

Des Moines police shot and killed a 16-year-old boy who they said raised a gun toward them as they tried to defuse a domestic dispute early Monday.

A police news release said an adult male relative of the boy called police about 12:30 a.m. to report the dispute at 400 E. McKinley Ave., an apartment complex on the south side. The caller said it involved the boy, who was armed with a handgun, the release said.

According to the account provided by police, officers arrived to find the armed boy in an apartment with other family members.

"Officers began several minutes of negotiations in an effort to de-escalate the situation," it said. "During that time, several pleas were made for him to put the handgun down."

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Then the boy raised the gun toward the officers and more than one fired their handguns at him, the release said.

"Officers immediately began life-saving efforts, including CPR," it said. "Des Moines Fire Department medics responded to the scene and assumed those efforts as they transported the patient to a local hospital. He later died at the hospital."

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The officers' body cams were recording during the confrontation, the release said. Des Moines Sgt. Paul Parizek, the department's public information officer, said the body cam footage could not be publicly released Monday, given the ongoing the investigation.

Police said the shooting was the first involving Des Moines officers in 2022.

Each officer involved is a five-year veteran of the Des Moines Police Department, a news release said. Following standard supportive procedures, the officers involved were placed on critical incident leave.

The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation is aiding in the investigation.

Correction: An earlier version of this report incorrectly identified the area near the shooting.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Boy, 16, dead after Des Moines police shoot him during dispute