Postal worker charged with attempted murder after shooting three colleagues in Des Moines
Jennifer Christine Pledger was captured within 11 minutes of the incident at the main post office north of downtown.
By Ibrahim Howard ·
The main post office in Iowa's capital city became the site of a workplace shooting on Thursday morning. The incident occurred on the second floor of the facility, an area generally closed to the public.
Police reported that Jennifer Christine Pledger, 39, of West Des Moines, fired her weapon at two female co-workers. Witnesses heard between 10 and 12 shots during the event. Pledger stood over one of the women and fired again before leaving the building.
Three employees were injured in total. Two women, aged 45 and 53, were shot. A 55-year-old male employee was injured after falling while attempting to escape. Des Moines police Sergeant Paul Parizek stated that none of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening. All three victims are currently in stable condition at a local hospital.
Officers arrived at the scene within three minutes of the first call at 9:10 a.m. They located Pledger without resistance along a nearby bike path at 9:21 a.m. A 9 mm handgun was recovered at the detention site. Pledger faces two counts of attempted murder, two counts of willful injury causing serious injury, and intimidation.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating the incident alongside local, state, and federal law enforcement. Governor Kim Reynolds said she is in contact with the Department of Public Safety. She posted online that the state is monitoring the situation and expressed gratitude for the rapid law enforcement response.
Des Moines Public Schools temporarily restricted entry and exit at a nearby elementary school, welcome center, and nutrition center. These restrictions were lifted once police confirmed the suspect was in custody. The post office is located just north of downtown Des Moines and across the street from one of the city's main hospitals.
Past incidents at postal facilities have led to reviews of employee safety. A 2000 study commissioned by postal officials found that postal employees were less violent than the national workforce, despite high-profile shootings in Edmond, Oklahoma, in 1986 and Royal Oak, Michigan, in 1991. A further attack occurred in Goleta, California, in 2006, where a former worker killed six colleagues.
