Des Moines ends 2017 with most homicides since 1978

An intense pace of killings in the city of Des Moines let up late in the year: No homicides were recorded in November and December.

But the 25 homicides in 2017, including three on the first three days of the year, were still enough to be the most in the city since 1978, when 27 people were killed, according to police data.

Law enforcement officials attributed a majority of the killings to soured personal relationships, gang-related violence and a trend of young adults solving trivial conflicts and social media disputes with guns, phenomena Police Chief Dana Wingert said were not unique to Iowa’s largest city.

No one has been arrested or identified as responsible in seven of the 25 killings, giving the police department a 2017 homicide clearance rate of 72 percent. In an eighth case, prosecution was declined for two murder suspects, though the police department considers it cleared.

Sometimes it feels as if the only people who care about solving murders work in the police department, Wingert said in an interview, adding that there were no killings in 2017 in which no person knows "exactly what happened." It's a frustration for police detectives and the county prosecutor's office.

In some cases in recent years, even family members who know who killed their loved one won’t tell authorities, Polk County Attorney John Sarcone said in an interview.

“We could solve many of these cases if people would just tell us the truth,” he said.

There are people, for example, who know who killed Stephen Kim, a Burmese refugee who was fatally shot in front of his three young sons during an attempted robbery in April, but refuse to talk to the police, Sarcone said. Wingert described Kim's random killing as a priority for the department; he remained confident detectives would "get over the hump" of reluctant witnesses.

In other cases, detectives know who the killer is, but they do not have the witness statements or physical evidence to make an arrest. Detectives, for example, know who killed Frederico Thompson Jr., the 18-year-old Scavo alternative school student who was gunned down outside a nightclub early on New Year's Day, said Sgt. Paul Parizek, a police spokesman. For the teenager's mother, all she can do is hope someone comes forward with information, a photograph or video from that night, something.

‘I deserve some justice’

Thompson's mother, Mindy Shields, cries every day. When her phone rings, she is hopeful it is the police department, calling her to tell her the person who killed her son has been arrested. She has not received that call.

The night Thompson was killed, he fed his daughter, Carson, some chicken nuggets and french fries. He took a picture on Snapchat, with a golden filter that read “Happy New Year!” before heading out. Later, Shields received a call that something terrible had happened; she sped through red lights as she made her way to the 508, a nightclub in the city's Indianola Hills neighborhood.

Thompson was shot in the parking lot in front of the club at 508 Indianola Ave. after an altercation spilled outside, authorities said. Police were called to the scene at 3:36 a.m. By the time Shields arrived, medics had pronounced her only child dead.

“I was there to watch him take his first breath," she said, "and it’s too bad I wasn’t there to watch him take his last one.”

Each week, Shields takes Carson, who is now 2, to her father's grave at Glendale Cemetery. Carson's handprints are pressed into his headstone; her hands are bigger now, but she still knows to place them there when they visit, Shields said.

Shields has thought a lot about how she is going to talk to Carson about her father and how he died. She wants to be able to tell her that whoever killed her dad is paying for it.

“I most definitely want and need justice,” she said. “I deserve some justice.”

More recovered weapons, more shots fired

If an officer recovered a firearm when Wingert patrolled the city's streets more than 20 years ago, most of the patrol division heard about it. Now, officers seize guns every night, if not every shift, the police chief said.

In recent years, law enforcement has seen an increase in gun-related crimes that include officers seizing firearms from teenagers, some of whom take them to school, as well as cases involving stolen weapons, Sarcone said. The county attorney described guns as easily accessible; when an officer takes one off the street, it's replaced by another.

And, Sarcone added: "People who carry guns don’t carry them to look at them."

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More residents are also calling 911 to report shots fired. In 2012, there were 785 calls of shots fired that resulted in 123 cases; those figures, according to police data, jumped to 1,372 calls that resulted in 292 cases in 2016. Figures for 2017 aren't complete but showed a similar pace.

Through a federal grant, the police department hopes to acquire equipment for a forensic evidence system that would analyze shell casings, firearms and spent bullets, which would help investigators learn about weapons used in crimes quicker. Des Moines detectives currently rely on state investigators for this. The department tracks other data in-house, such as fingerprints.

Of the 25 homicides in Des Moines, 15 victims were shot, six were stabbed, two were beat or bludgeoned, one was strangled and another was intentionally set on fire, according to police data.

Officials attributed some of the violence to loose-knit gangs, such as C-Block and Heavy Hittas. A number of shootings also start when a young adult, ages 17 to 24, has access to a firearm and becomes angry over a relatively minor dispute, often on social media, Wingert said.

“Conflict resolution has gone to the extreme,” he said.

Unlike in larger cities, only a couple dozen people commit violent crimes in Des Moines, Wingert said, so when authorities arrest two or three violent criminals, the department sees a reduction in certain crimes. This was true, he said, when police saw a significant spike in confirmed shots fired — when shell casings or weapons are found — at the end of April. After a handful of arrests in May, confirmed shots-fired calls dramatically dropped in June.

The 2017 homicide clearance rate of 72 percent passed the 2016 solve rate, 57 percent. But in 2015, detectives identified or arrested a suspect in each of the city's 21 homicides.

The national homicide clearance rate has been declining for years, falling from 91 percent in 1965 to about 60 percent in 2016, according to the FBI. Police departments clear a case when a suspect has been arrested or identified without the possibility of arrest, such as if the accused has died. A clearance does not mean a suspect has been prosecuted.

The police department's figures include fatal officer-involved shootings but not vehicular homicides, such as the death of 18-year-old Anthony Mure, who died Jan. 2 when a vehicle he was in rolled while being chased by police. The county medical examiner, however, has ruled it a homicide.

A need for closure

Emily Ward became nervous.

Her husband, Adriel, was an hour late for date night. The two, who met years earlier at East High School, had planned go to go Flix Brewhouse. Adriel, who was known as A.D., was a social butterfly; maybe he was talking with friends.

That’s when a news alert lit her phone: There had been a crash. It occurred where Adriel was supposed to be. She drove to the scene; A.D. was in the hospital, officers told her. It was the beginning of a year that Emily described as a blur.

Ward was shot at about 9:37 p.m. Feb. 11 before he crashed into a utility pole in the 1700 block of Delaware Avenue on the northeast side of the city. No one has been arrested. Parizek, a police spokesman, described the killing as “a real whodunit,” in which detectives have no viable suspects.

For Ward, not knowing keeps her up at night. At least once a month, Adriel’s 15-year-old daughter asks if police have caught her dad’s killer. They need closure, she said. As his wife, she feels obligated to find out what happened, but has not had much luck.

“I've learned to accept that I may never know,” she said. “It feels like a nightmare that never ends.”

It pains Ward to know that whoever killed her husband can go home to his or her family each night. His killer gets to celebrate birthdays and holidays while she struggles through them. She prays the person is caught, or that someone with information comes forward.

On top of the pain, the killing of a loved one can bring financial struggles. For Ward, that means selling her home. The move will be bittersweet; it’s strange being there without Adriel, but it’s also the home they bought together three years ago. She's begun taking pictures down.

Seeing mutual friends has also become difficult. They don't know how to talk to her. She thinks she makes them uncomfortable; she's a reminder of their beloved, goofy friend. Sometimes, she thinks them seeing her ruins their days. She'd prefer a hug or a hello.

"People don't know how to react to me," she said. "It’s been a rough year."

A look at each case

Jan. 1: Frederico Ceon Thompson, 18, was shot and killed at about 3:36 a.m. when a fight broke out at the 508, a troubled nightclub at 508 Indianola Ave. in the city's Indianola Hills neighborhood. He was the father of a young daughter. During a vigil three days later, mourners delivered a prevailing message: Stop the violence in Des Moines. No one has been charged.

Jan. 2: Andrea Brown, 55, was stabbed in the chest at about 2:30 p.m. at 925 E. Ninth St. in the city's Capitol Park neighborhood. He was rushed to a local hospital, but died an hour later. Authorities initially charged a 69-year-old man with murder. His charges were dropped and the county attorney's office charged Helen Jeanette Frazier, 52, after police determined she killed Brown and lied to them about suspect information. She has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and two counts of malicious prosecution.

Jan. 3: Gloria Gary, 49, went missing Jan. 3. Her body was found Jan. 12 in her home at 3107 56th St. in the city's Merle Hay neighborhood. Police determined Kyle Alexander Jepson, 22, strangled her in a sexually-motivated killing before he hid her body and fled to Utah. He has since pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree burglary. He was sentenced in September to 60 years in prison and must serve 35 years before he can be considered for parole.

Jan. 29: Michael Huckleberry, 31, was found dead in his apartment in the 3700 block of Twana Drive in the city's Lower Beaver neighborhood days after three people robbed and beat him, police said. Autopsy results showed evidence of trauma to Huckleberry's head and a stab wound to his back. Ricky Hascall, 50, and Monica Fagan, 26, both of Des Moines, have been charged with first-degree murder. Fagan told police she was angry at Huckleberry for refusing to return her DJ equipment, according to court records. A third person, Sarah Saltz, 24, has pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery. Fagan told police the three planed to give Huckleberry a bad dose of heroin and take the equipment back, according to court documents.

Feb. 7: Augustine Kouh, 20, was shot and later found dead at about 6:40 p.m. on a sidewalk in the 800 block of Shawnee Avenue in the city's Highland Park neighborhood, police said. The shooting also injured an 18-year-old man. Dequavius Eddie Robinson, 16, of Des Moines, has been charged with first-degree murder, among other offenses. The shooting stemmed from a drug deal, according to court records.

Feb. 11: Adriel Ward, 33, was shot at about 9:37 p.m. before he crashed into a utility police in the 1700 block of Delaware Avenue on the northeast side of the city. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died the next day. No one has been arrested in the killing; a police sergeant, the department's spokesman, has described the case as a "real whodunit."

Feb. 13: Rasema Keco, 51, was fatally stabbed by her husband at about 2:30 a.m. in her home in the 1900 block of 60th Street in the city's Merle Hay neighborhood, police said. Her husband, Ekrem Keco, who records show had a history of violently abusing his family, died when he crashed his car into the back of a semitrailer on Interstate Highway 80 while fleeing from police, authorities said. Officers found he had stabbed himself in his neck prior to the crash.

March 6: Sheila Ray Keenan, 45, was bludgeoned to death in an apartment in the 1700 block of Grand Avenue. James Russell Walden Jr., 60, of Des Moines, has been charged with first-degree murder. "I had to knock her out because she was in my pockets," Walden told police, according to a criminal complaint. Walden was convicted of first-degree murder in December.

March 17: Trey Leon Lee, 24, was fatally shot at about 4 p.m. in the the 1200 block of 15th Place near Evelyn Davis Park in the city's King Irving neighborhood, police said. A 24-year-old man was also shot in the foot. Both men were taken to hospitals, where Lee died shortly after. Police identified two suspects in the killing, but the prosecution was declined.

April 11: Antonio Quinn, 36, was fatally shot in the chest at about 9:18 p.m. during a prearranged drug deal in a parking lot near Saints Pub and Patio in Beaverdale. Quinn's 33-year-old cousin was shot in the arm. A jury in December found Larry Deandre Ratliff Jr., 26, of Des Moines, guilty of first-degree and second-degree murder. He will be sentenced Tuesday. A woman charged with murder in the case, 19-year-old Molly Peter, is scheduled to be tried in January.

April 21: Stephen Pausuan Kim, 41, was fatally shot in front of his three young children during an attempted robbery near 3523 University Ave. in the city's Drake neighborhood. He died at a local hospital. Police have described the killing as an execution. No one has been arrested. Iowans rushed to help his wife, Ester Kim, donating $300,000 that helped her and her boys move from an apartment into the first home the family has owned.

April 23: Kendall Moore, 40, was fatally stabbed in the chest in the 1500 block of 13th Street in the city's King Irving neighborhood, police said. Corderro Alton Laurence, who was Moore's nephew, was charged first-degree murder. He has been declared not mentally competent to stand trial; the case may be revisited if it appears his competency is restored.

May 8: Anthony Hartmann, 49, was fatally shot by his stepdaughter at a home at 7208 S.W. 17th St. on the city's south side, police said. The stepdaughter, Sera Alexander, 29, of Des Moines, was charged with first-degree murder. Hartmann had lived at the house until a no-contact order was filed, prohibiting him from going to the house; the no-contact order against him had been lifted when he died. Police said Hartmann did not assault his stepdaughter in the moments before he was killed. Family members, however, have said Hartmann, who had a criminal history that included domestic abuse charges, was violent, and that she must have felt threatened.

May 9: Choice Elliston, 23, was shot in the head at 30th Street and Hickman Road in the city's Beaverdale neighborhood, police said. He later died at a hospital. No one has been arrested in his killing. Police have said they believe the shooting was gang-related. Elliston was one of three people shot in Des Moines that day.

May 21: Ruot Gach, 19, of Carroll, was shot and killed at 2:33 a.m. in the parking lot of Zion Lutheran Church in the city's Beaverdale neighborhood. Three other people were injured in the shooting. No one has been arrested.

June 3: Mary Dudley, 36, was found shot dead at about 9:30 a.m. in the 1500 block of Evergreen Avenue in the city's Pioneer Park neighborhood. Harold Dudley, 50, of Des Moines, has been charged with first-degree murder. The two were married, but living apart during the killing, authorities said.

June 17: Darnell Lee, 26, and Jason A. Smith, 30, were killed in a shooting in the 1800 block of Easton Boulevard in the city's Martin Luther King Jr. Park neighborhood. At the time, police said the shooting apparently stemmed from a fight at an after-hours gathering. No one has been arrested.

July 5: Tiffany Potter, 29, was shot and killed by a police officer in the 1600 block of East 14th Street in the city's Union Park neighborhood. Before she was shot, she tried to flee police officers in a car and then on foot and then fired a handgun, according to court documents. A grand jury in October determined the three officers involved were justified in fatally shooting Potter.

July 28: Jeffrey Mercado, 23, was shot at about 3:30 p.m. in the 1800 block of Oakland Avenue in the city's River Bend neighborhood. He later died at a hospital. Miguel Angel Lorenzo-Baltazar, 19, and Anthony Garcia, 22, were charged with first-degree murder. The two have ties to gang activity, authorities allege in court documents.

Aug. 5: Preston Davis, 35, was fatally stabbed at a family gathering at a home in the 3900 block of 56th Street on the northwest side of the city. His brother, Shawn Eugene Davis, 49, has been charged with first-degree murder. Davis went back into the house after the stabbing and tried to "destroy or alter evidence," according to court documents.

Aug. 22: Noah Campbell, 19, was shot and killed outside a gas station at 3733 Easton Blvd. on the city's east side. He later died at a hospital. Crystal Michelle Lee, 29, and Daniel Antonio Lamay, 18, both of whom are from Des Moines, were charged with first-degree murder, though neither is suspected of being the shooter. Police expect more arrests will be made; they have identified other persons of interest.

Aug: 25: Christopher Lenhart, 26, died two days after he was intentionally set on fire at 1439 Henderson Ave. in the city's Highland Park neighborhood, police said. His stepfather, Randy Dean Miles Jr., 41, has since been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree arson.

Sept. 10: Lakeisha McDuffy, 30, died after she was stabbed multiple times by her sister as the two visited a relative at a home in the 6500 block of Chaffee Road on the south side of the city, police said. Her sister, Ieisha McDuffy, 31, of Chicago, has been charged with first-degree murder.

Oct. 25: Jerry Lavelle Martin, 42, was stabbed to death in the 1100 block of Euclid Avenue in the city's Oak Park neighborhood. Michael Lee Bell Jr., 39, has been charged with first-degree murder. Officers found Martin suffering from a stab wound to his upper body; he later died at a hospital. In court records, police said Bell stabbed Martin with a "stick or broom handle" over a $50 dispute.

Des Moines police are asking anyone with information about any unsolved homicides to call them at 515-283-4811 or anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa at 515-223-1400.

Luke Nozicka can be reached at 515-343-4659, lnozicka@dmreg.com or on Twitter @lukenozicka.