Two postal workers were shot and a third was injured while escaping Thursday morning at the main U.S. Postal Service facility in Des Moines, Iowa, police said. A suspect was taken into custody shortly after the shooting.
Police said the shooting began at about 9:10 a.m. Central time on the second floor of the four-story regional sorting facility at 1165 Second Avenue. The area where the shooting occurred is not accessible to the public.
The two people who were shot and the employee hurt in a fall were taken to a hospital. Authorities said none of the injuries was believed to be life-threatening. The three injured employees were two women and one man, according to police.
Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said officers arrived within three minutes. The suspect, whom police described as a female postal employee, was detained without resistance along a nearby bicycle path. Witnesses reported hearing 10 to 12 shots, Parizek said.
Nearby Des Moines Public Schools facilities, including an elementary school, a welcome center and a nutrition center, temporarily restricted entry and exit after the district was notified at 9:20 a.m. Police informed the district at 10 a.m. that the suspect was in custody, and the restrictions were lifted.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said state officials were monitoring the response and that the investigation remained active. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service had not issued a public account of the incident when the initial reports were published.
Authorities had not released a motive, identified the injured employees or explained what led to the shooting. The suspect’s detention does not by itself establish criminal guilt, and formal charging information was not immediately available.
Police asked people to avoid the area while investigators continued working. With the suspect in custody and the injuries described as non-life-threatening, officials had not reported an ongoing threat to the public.
Sources: Associated Press — Des Moines postal facility shooting: https://apnews.com/article/24f2e650c51325042d567b89aae5a53c Fox News — Des Moines USPS shooting and official response: https://www.foxnews.com/us/multiple-people-shot-united-states-postal-service-office-des-moines-suspect-detained.amp