Des Moines police officers, suspect identified in Feb. 6 deadly shooting
Authorities have identified the officers and the suspect in the latest deadly Des Moines police shooting.
According to a news release, the shooting happened around 8:40 pm. Feb. 6 in the 1200 block of Maury Street on the southeast side of Des Moines, where Des Moines Police Department Narcotics Section investigators had a vehicle under surveillance as part of an ongoing methamphetamine trafficking investigation.
"The vehicle parked at a convenience store and the suspect exited, walking westbound on Maury Street," the news release said. "Two uniformed officers detained the suspect in the 1200 block of Maury Street. During the following investigation, the suspect produced a weapon and a confrontation ensued, resulting in both officers firing their handguns."
First aid was administered to the man at the scene and he was taken to a local hospital. DMPD said just after 10:20 a.m. Friday that the suspect had died. He was identified Wednesday as 43-year-old David Leroy Kintz Jr.
Authorities have not said what type of weapon Kintz had.
Senior police officers Neal Shaffer and Titus Deford both fired their handguns at Kintz. Shaffer has been with DMPD since 2018, and Deford has been with the department since 2020.
"As per policy, the involved officers are on administrative assignment, which is standard protocol for employees who have experienced an on-duty significant critical or traumatic incident," a news release said. "The Des Moines Police Department Peer Support Team, as well as other mental health professionals and resources, continue to provide support for all employees impacted by this critical incident."
Six deadly Des Moines police shootings since July
This was the sixth deadly police shooting in Des Moines since July 2024. A Washington Post database that tracks deadly police shootings shows only five others in Des Moines in the past decade.
"We have hundreds of encounters with armed people every year," Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said Friday. "And when the opportunity is there for us to find a different to solution, that's what we do. ... When it comes to the use of deadly force, that's not our primary solution. But it's a reaction to a set of circumstances that we're presented with and a threat against ourselves or someone else."
Here's a list of deadly police shootings in Des Moines since July 2024:
July 30, 2024:
Officers were called to a residence in the 5800 block of SE 35th Circle for a report of a person violating a protective order. Police found Weston Derby, a suspect in an investigation into the violation of a no-contact order, driving near the scene and attempted to stop his vehicle.
A chase ensued before Derby's vehicle came to a stop in the 4300 block of East Army Post Road. Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said officers' body camera footage shows Derby attempting to flee on foot before turning to face the two officers in pursuit and pulling what officers believed to be a handgun.
Officers Jesse Schneider and Anthony Lampman fired their weapons at Derby, killing him. Schneider was accidentally struck in the back shoulder by a round from Lampman's firearm, according to the report.
, according to a report from the Iowa Attorney General's Office.
September 16, 2024:
The Iowa Attorney General's Office says there will be no charges filed against the Des Moines police officers who killed a man during a shootout in September. The attorney general's office found that Capt. Chad Steffen and Senior Police Officers Jacob Boekhoff and Frankie Contreras were justified when they shot Joshua Green on Sept. 16.
Officer Cade Moritz was shot in the head during the exchange of gunfire, and Boekhoff was hit in the arm. Both are still recovering from their injuries.
It all unfolded near Easton Boulevard and Hubbell Avenue in the early morning hours of Sept. 16 when police say Green drove away from an attempted traffic stop.
He crashed soon after and refused officers' commands to turn off his vehicle and surrender.
"The officers approached Green and warned him that he would be tased if he did not comply," . "When Green continued not to comply, an officer tased him twice. Both attempts failed. Green even pulled the attached barbs from the taser out of his body. An officer then pulled Green out of the vehicle by the foot that Green had hanging out of the driver’s side door. Green fell to the ground, only to quickly sit back up, draw a handgun from his waistband, and started shooting. Until that point, the officers were unaware that Green was armed. Green shot one officer in the arm and another in the head. [Boekhoff, Contreras and Steffen] returned fire, killing Green."
Nov. 26, 2024:
Two Des Moines police officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing in November's deadly shooting of an armed 70-year-old man in a wheelchair.
Shortly after 6 a.m. on Nov. 26, Des Moines police officers were called to the Elsie Mason Manor apartment complex by the building's receptionist. A resident also called 911 and told officers the receptionist was being held at gunpoint by Charles Alan Leonard III, a 70-year-old resident in the building.
Officers say they cleared out the lobby where Leonard was holding a gun before turning to Leonard, who they say raised a gun at officers. Officers opened fire, and Leonard died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Investigators found Leonard's gun was an airsoft gun missing the orange tip. Leonard was allegedly described as suicidal leading up to the confrontation, and investigators say he was not taking prescribed medication for mental health issues.
Polk County Attorney Kimberly Graham released a letter in January to Des Moines Police Chief Michael McTaggart, stating that the officers' use of deadly force was justified under Iowa law and no charges will be filed against them.
Jan. 2, 2025:
The shooting was reported just before 5:30 p.m. Jan. 2 in the 2100 block of Meadow Court on Des Moines' south side, where officers went to a home to do a wanted check on someone believed to be in the home with felony warrants for domestic abuse assault and felon in possession of a firearm. Sgt. Paul Parizek confirmed officers located a man they believed to be the wanted person in the home and said the man ran from officers.
Officers followed and yelled at the man, later identified as 32-year-old Charquan Hargrove, to stop and show his hands, Parizek said. He said there is video evidence from body-worn cameras that shows Hargrove fired a handgun directly at an officer.
Two senior police officers, Brian Stern and Nicholas Rude, returned gunfire, killing Hargrove. A third officer was on scene and did not fire a weapon, according to DMPD.
Jan. 24, 2025:
Des Moines police officers were conducting a felony warrant check on Jan. 24 in the 1300 block of E. Tiffin Avenue around 2:44 p.m. Responding officers located the suspect, now identified as 36-year-old Brandon Allen Mitchell, who ran into the residence, police say.
At around 3:38 p.m., police say an officer communicated via radio that the suspect announced he was armed with a gun. Seconds later, two officers fired, hitting Mitchell. Mitchell was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died.
The Des Moines Police Department on Jan. 30 identified Senior Police Officer William Perez and Senior Police Officer Michael Hoopes as the officers involved in the shooting. Perez has been with the DMPD since 2017, and Hoopes has been a Des Moines police officer since 2020.
Feb. 6, 2025:
According to a news release, the shooting happened around 8:40 pm. Feb. 6 in the 1200 block of Maury Street on the southeast side of Des Moines, where Des Moines Police Department Narcotics Section investigators had a vehicle under surveillance as part of an ongoing methamphetamine trafficking investigation.
"The vehicle parked at a convenience store and the suspect exited, walking westbound on Maury Street," the news release said. "Two uniformed officers detained the suspect in the 1200 block of Maury Street. During the following investigation, the suspect produced a weapon and a confrontation ensued, resulting in both officers firing their handguns."
First aid was administered to the man at the scene and he was taken to a local hospital. DMPD said just after 10:20 a.m. Friday that the suspect had died. He was identified Wednesday as 43-year-old David Leroy Kintz Jr.
Senior police officers Neal Shaffer and Titus Deford both fire their handguns at Kintz. Shaffer has been with DMPD since 2018, and Deford has been with the department since 2020.