An Iowa shootout leaves a fleeing suspect dead and 2 police officers injured

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A shootout early Monday left two Iowa police officers hospitalized and a suspect dead, Des Moines police said.

The encounter began around 1:40 a.m. when patrol officers stopped a 37-year-old driver for an equipment violation, police said. The driver pulled over in a parking lot but sped away as officers exited their patrol vehicles, police Sgt. Paul Parizek said in a news release.

The driver crashed about 20 seconds later, and officers blocked his 2005 Ford Focus from driving away, Parizek said. When the driver refused to cooperate, officers used a Taser on him, then tried to remove him from the car, leading to a violent struggle, Parizek said.

During the struggle, the man pulled out a handgun and began shooting at officers, Parizek said. Three offers returned fire, killing the man.

Two officers were shot and rushed to a hospital. Parizek said one officer was shot in the head, the other in an arm. The officer shot in the head underwent surgery and was in critical condition but stable. Parizek said both are expected to survive.

Both injured officers joined the department in 2022, Parizek said.

Des Moines police and the Iowa Department of Public Safety are investigating.