2 teenage students dead, man critically injured in Des Moines shooting, police say

DES MOINES, Iowa, —  Two teenage students were killed Monday and a man was seriously injured in what police said was a targeted shooting at an alternative

educational program in Des Moines, Iowa, designed to keep at-risk youth away from trouble. Authorities confirmed Monday that one man had been charged in the

shooting, and two other people remained in custody. Preston Walls, 18, of Des Moines, was charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for the shooting at

the Starts Right Here program. He was also charged with criminal gang participation. Des Moines Police spokesperson Sgt. Paul Parizek said Starts Right Here

founder and CEO, Will Holmes, was seriously injured and remains hospitalized as of Monday evening. Parizek said the wounded students aged 16 and 18 were found

in very critical condition and that officers performed CPR on them. They were taken to a hospital, where they died. Police said Walls and all three victims were

at the school on Monday when Walls entered a common area where Holmes and the two students were. Walls had a 9mm handgun with an extended ammunition magazine in his possession,

police said, though they did not specify if he was displaying the weapon. "Walls, and both deceased victims, are known gang members, belonging to opposing

gangs, and evidence indicates that these crimes were committed as a result of an ongoing gang dispute," Parizek said in the release. He did not elaborate on the evidence that

links the shootings to rival gangs.