A Des Moines postal worker is accused of opening fire on coworkers during a morning staff meeting at the city’s main post office, and police say they do not know why.
Story Snapshot
- Police say postal worker Jennifer Christine Pledger, 39, shot two coworkers at the Des Moines Main Post Office around 9:10 a.m.
- A third employee was hurt in a fall while running from the building. All three are expected to survive.
- Officers caught the suspect along a nearby bike path at 9:21 a.m., without a struggle.
- She is charged with two counts of attempted murder and is held in the Polk County Jail without bail.
- Police say they have no information on a motive.
- Police say she shot one coworker, who fell, then “approached that victim, stood over her, and fired again.”
Shots Fired During A Staff Meeting
The shooting began shortly after 9 a.m. on Thursday, November 5, on the second floor of the main post office at 1165 Second Avenue, an area that is closed to the public. About 20 to 30 workers had gathered for a morning meeting, said Mike Bates, president of the local chapter of the American Postal Workers Union, the labor union for many postal employees. Police say they have no information on why the shooting happened, and the suspect had not given a reason by Thursday afternoon.
According to police, witnesses said Pledger shot one coworker, who fell. Police said she “then approached that victim, stood over her, and fired again.” She then fired at other workers as they ran. Witnesses reported hearing 10 to 12 shots. Two women, ages 45 and 53, were shot. A 55-year-old man was hurt in a fall while trying to escape. All three work for the Postal Service. “It could have been a lot worse,” Bates said.
Caught Within Minutes
Police got several calls from inside the building around 9:10 a.m. Officers arrived within three minutes. By then the suspect had left the building. Officers took her into custody at 9:21 a.m. along a nearby bike path, and she did not resist. A 9mm handgun was found at the scene. Nearby schools briefly kept people from coming or going and lifted the limits once she was in custody.
Pledger, 39, of Des Moines, is accused of two counts of attempted murder and two counts of willful injury causing serious injury, an Iowa felony for hurting someone on purpose. She is also charged with intimidation with a dangerous weapon, a charge for firing a gun toward people in a way that puts them in fear. She is held in the Polk County Jail without bail. No court date has been reported. She has not been convicted of any crime.
Who Is Investigating
Des Moines police are leading the case with help from the FBI and the ATF, the federal agency that tracks guns and explosives. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Postal Service’s own law enforcement arm, is also investigating. It said there is “no ongoing risk to the public.” Sgt. Paul Parizek, a spokesman for Des Moines police, said all three victims were being cared for at the hospital. Authorities have not said whether anyone raised concerns about Pledger before the shooting.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said she was “grateful for the immediate response by law enforcement.” U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, who represents the Des Moines area in Congress, thanked the officers and first responders who came to the scene.
A Rare Kind Of Attack
Shootings by postal workers drew national attention in the 1980s. The worst came in 1986 in Edmond, Oklahoma, when a postal worker killed 14 coworkers and then himself. That case gave rise to the phrase “going postal.” But a 2000 study for the Postal Service called the phrase a myth and found postal workers less violent than the nation’s workforce as a whole.
Sources:
cnn.com, apnews.com, desmoinesregister.com, wmur.com, upi.com