Three postal employees were injured, and investigators said the suspected shooter was arrested within minutes near the Des Moines River.
DES MOINES, Iowa — A U.S. Postal Service employee has been charged with attempted murder after police said she opened fire on coworkers inside the main Des Moines post office Thursday morning, shooting two women and prompting other workers to flee. A third employee was injured while escaping.
Jennifer Christine Pledger, 39, faces two counts of attempted murder, two counts of willful injury causing serious injury and one count of intimidation with a dangerous weapon, according to Des Moines police. Authorities said all three injured postal employees were in stable condition and expected to survive. Investigators had not announced a motive as of Friday, and police said Pledger had not provided information explaining what led to the shooting.
The first emergency calls came from inside the U.S. Postal Service processing and distribution facility at 1165 Second Ave. at about 9:10 a.m. Thursday, police said. Callers reported roughly 10 to 12 gunshots on the second floor, an employee area that is not open to the public. Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said the first officer reached the facility about three minutes after the calls began.
Police said witness and victim statements indicate Pledger fired into a group of employees on the second floor. Investigators allege she shot one woman, causing her to fall, and then fired again before shooting toward other workers as they fled. Authorities have not identified the injured employees by name. The two women who were shot are 45 and 53, while a 55-year-old male employee was injured in a fall while trying to get away.
The two women reached MercyOne Medical Center on their own, while a Des Moines police officer transported the injured man, authorities said. Police initially described all three injuries as not life-threatening. Parizek said Thursday that the victims were receiving treatment and that officials expected each of them to recover.
By the time officers entered the postal facility, the suspected shooter had left the building, police said. Authorities searched the surrounding area and detained Pledger without incident at about 9:21 a.m. near a bike trail by the Des Moines River, east of the post office. Investigators said a 9 mm handgun was recovered where she was detained. Pledger was later booked into the Polk County Jail.
The shooting interrupted a morning gathering of postal employees. Mike Bates, president of the local American Postal Workers Union, told KCCI that about 20 to 30 employees had been gathered for a daily morning huddle when the gunfire began. Workers ran or hid as the situation unfolded. Bates said employees who survived the shooting were left distressed, even if they were not physically injured.
Employees were taken by bus to another location where counseling was available, according to local reporting. One longtime employee who arrived for a later shift told KCCI that he learned about the shooting before reaching the building and was unable to enter because the facility remained restricted. The incident disrupted operations at a workplace where employees normally process and distribute mail for the Des Moines area.
The shooting also prompted short-term security measures nearby. Des Moines Public Schools placed Carver Elementary School, its Welcome Center and its Central Nutrition Center in secure status after police notified the district about the shooting. The restrictions were lifted after authorities reported that the suspect had been taken into custody. Police also temporarily restricted traffic in the area before reopening Second Avenue.
The Des Moines Police Department is leading the investigation through its Crimes Against Persons Section. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is participating, and the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also assisted. The Postal Inspection Service said after the shooting that there was no continuing threat to the public and that the investigation remained active.
Authorities have not publicly identified a motive or said what may have preceded the violence between the coworkers. The criminal charges are accusations, and Pledger has not been convicted. Investigators continued working Friday to determine what led to the shooting while the injured employees recovered and the case moved into the Polk County court system.