Polk County Attorney rules November fatal shooting by DMPD was justified

Close Up Shot Focused on Yellow Tape Showing Text Police Line Do Not Cross. Restricted Area of a Crime Scene. Bokeh Background with Flickering Siren Lights. Forensics Team Working on a Case

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No charges will be filed by the Polk County Attorney's Office in a November 2024 officer-involved shooting in downtown Des Moines.

Polk County Attorney Kimberly Graham says the officers involved had reason to believe their lives and others were in danger.

Graham says 70-year-old Charles Leonard pulled a gun on a receptionist at the Elsie Manor apartments on Grand Avenue just after 6:00 a.m., leading to her calling 911.

Officers responded less than 10 minutes later, with Leonard pointing a gun at the ceiling, then lowering it toward officers. Police then fired multiple times at Leonard. He would die from his injuries at the scene.

After the shooting, it was discovered Leonard was holding a pellet gun without the orange safety tip on the barrel.

Graham says since officers believed the gun Leonard was holding was real, the use of deadly force was justified.


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