Des Moines police officers, suspect involved in deadly Jan. 24 shooting identified
Des Moines authorities have identified the officers and the suspect in a deadly shooting in the Highland Park neighborhood last week.
On Jan. 24, Des Moines police officers were conducting a felony warrant check 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.
On Thursday, the Des Moines Police Department 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.
Both officers are on administrative assignment, which is standard protocol for officers who have experienced a critical or traumatic incident.
According to the DMPD, video and audio recordings of the incident show that officers entered the home and announced their presence and the presence of a K-9 before searching for Mitchell. The K-9 located Mitchell in a closet, and Mitchell told officers he had a gun.
The DMPD says the recordings show an officer ordering Mitchell to show his hands before Mitchell says he has a gun again. There is then "a loud noise and movement from within the closet that officers perceive as them being fired upon." Both officers then fired their handguns.
The officers began lifesaving efforts until medics with the Des Moines Fire Department arrived.
The DMPD says a search warrant was executed on the residence, and no firearm was recovered during the search.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is continuing to investigate the incident.
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