MacKenzie Elmer

melmer@dmreg.com

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the status of the 20-gauge shell casings found with the shotgun.

Des Moines police could hear a gunshot as they turned down Morton Avenue on Sunday night.

Police dispatchers filled officers in as they made their way to the scene: A man had struck a woman over the head with a gun, but she managed to lock herself inside the house. Her aggressor tried to kick in the door, according to a police report.

An officer went straight for the backyard when he arrived in the 2200 block of Morton Avenue at 6:40 p.m. The man came out of the garage holding a dark object and police ordered him to the ground. He eventually dropped what turned out to be a beer bottle and police handcuffed him.

Steven Henry Kohler, 53, said he'd been fighting with his wife and admitted to firing a gun in the back yard. Police found a shotgun loaded with 20-gauge shells and one spent shell in the breech of the gun that failed to eject, the report states.

The woman was bleeding heavily from a large gash on her head but refused treatment from fire department medics. She said the two had been arguing all day when Kohler eventually struck her over the head with the gun and threatened to kill her, according to the report.

Neighbors said Kohler regularly assaults the woman and repeatedly threatens her and others with death, the police report states. Family members told police they were worried Kohler might follow through on his threats.

Police decided to arrest Kohler and, in doing so, removed 18 firearms from the house.

Kohler was taken to the Polk County Jail on charges of first-offense domestic abuse assault with display of a weapon and discharging a firearm within city limits. He was released Monday, jail records show, with a no-contact order against the victim.

His first court date is Nov. 9 at 1:30 p.m.