2 students killed, 1 employee wouned in shooting at Iowa youth nonprofit; 3 in custody

DES MOINES, Iowa (CBS) — Two students are dead, and another person was wounded, in a shooting Monday afternoon at a non-profit outreach center in Des Moines, Iowa.

Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek said the shooting happened shortly before 1 p.m. at Starts Right Here, a non-profit educational program that helps at-risk youth. 

Upon arriving at the scene, police found three people who had been shot. Two students were taken to the hospital in critical condition, and were later pronounced dead. An employee of Starts Right Here also was taken to the hospital, and was in surgery Monday afternoon. The ages and genders of the victims were not immediately available.

"The incident was definitely targeted. It was not random. There was nothing random about this. It was certainly a targeted incident," Parizek said.

About 20 minutes after the shooting, witnesses gave police a description of a vehicle linked to the shooting, and police stopped it about 2 miles away. One person ran from the car, while two others stayed in the vehicle. 

A police K-9 unit helped track down the person who ran off, and all three possible suspects were taken into custody, according to Parizek.

"We're not confirmed yet on their involvement here, but we're working towards to determine that," Parizek said.

Parizek said police are still investigating a possible motive for the shooting.

"Even if we did find the motive, it's not going to make sense to anybody," he said. 

Starts Right Here, which helps at-risk youth, was founded by William Holmes, a rapper whose stage name is Will Keeps. According to a press release, Starts Right Here is a community partner of Des Moines Public Schools that helps to re-engage students in the district's Options Academy credit recovery program and supporting students no longer in a school building due to behavioral issues. They serve 40-50 students at any given time.

CORRECTION: This story  has been updated to correct that Starts Right Here is a nonprofit educational organization, not a charter school.

In:
• Iowa
• School Shooting
• Des Moines