2022 East High School shooting

On the afternoon of March 7, 2022, shortly after 2:40 p.m., a shooting occurred near East High School in Des Moines, Iowa, just before school was dismissed for the day. Neighborhood camera footage captured a group of five teenagers gathered near a curb when three vehicles passed, turned around, and opened fire on the group. At least 35 gunshots were fired from the vehicles. Multiple 911 calls followed at approximately 2:50 p.m. Investigators later recovered about 20 spent shell casings at the scene and another 15 inside vehicles identified by the Des Moines Police Department as having been used in the shooting.

One victim, 15-year-old Jose David Lopez, a student at another Des Moines high school who was visiting the East High campus, was killed. Police said he was the intended target of the attack. Two female East High students, aged 16 and 18, were critically wounded; both were shot in the head. The 18-year-old, identified in later reporting as Kemery Ortega, was reported by late March 2022 to be recovering and preparing to leave the hospital, though she may have retained bullet fragments in her skull. The 16-year-old victim was also reported to be recovering after being critically injured. Police stated the two female victims were not intended targets.

The investigation involved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) office in Kansas City, the Iowa State Patrol, the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the FBI, and the Des Moines Public Schools Department of Public Safety. Multiple search warrants were executed and six guns were recovered. By the evening of the shooting, six teenage males aged 14 to 17 had been arrested and charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, with four charged in adult court and two in juvenile court. By March 30, 2022, several more teenagers had been arrested, and four additional teens were eventually charged in connection with the shooting. Police described the shooting as having gang overtones, characterizing it as stemming from an ongoing violent conflict between two rival Iowa Hispanic gangs.

Court proceedings extended over several years. Multiple defendants pleaded guilty to charges including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, accessory to the fact, willful injury causing serious injury, and intimidation with a dangerous weapon. Sentences handed down ranged from a suspended four-year term to life in prison with the possibility of parole, with prison terms including 20, 50, 60, and 70 years for various defendants. One defendant was ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to the estate of the deceased victim. Some defendants who were minors at the time of sentencing were held under youthful offender status pending sentencing after reaching adulthood. U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement addressing the shooting and broader concerns about gun violence in American society.