DES MOINES, IA — A U.S. Postal Service employee has been charged with attempted murder after police say she shot two coworkers at a major post office near downtown Des Moines on Thursday morning. Investigators are still trying to determine what led to the attack.
Des Moines police say a third Postal Service employee was injured while trying to get away from the scene. All three injured workers were taken to a hospital and are expected to survive, according to police Sgt. Paul Parizek.
Shooting erupted during a morning staff huddle
Police identified the suspect as 39-year-old Des Moines resident Jennifer Christine Pledger. Investigators say she began firing at a group of coworkers on the second floor of the building shortly after 9 a.m. local time.
The area where the shooting started is not open to the public. Mike Bates, president of the local American Postal Workers Union, told CNN affiliate KCCI that the violence broke out during a morning huddle involving about 20 to 30 employees.
Witnesses told investigators that Pledger shot one victim, who fell to the ground, and then stood over that person and fired again, according to police. She then kept shooting toward other workers as they tried to escape.
Police say one weapon was recovered and the suspect was arrested outside
By the time officers reached the building, Pledger had already left, Parizek said. Police took her into custody outside the post office, and investigators also found a 9mm handgun at the scene.
The three injured employees included two women, ages 45 and 53, who were shot, along with a 55-year-old man who suffered a fall injury while trying to flee. Police said the suspect was booked into Polk County Jail without bail.
Authorities have not said whether Pledger has legal representation. Police have charged her with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of willful injury causing serious injury and one count of intimidation with a dangerous weapon, all felonies.
Investigators say the motive remains unknown
Parizek said officers have not yet learned why the shooting happened. In an update later Thursday, he said Pledger still had not offered any possible motive.
Des Moines police are leading the case with help from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Postal Service’s law enforcement arm, is also investigating, and ATF agents responded to the scene.
The Postal Inspection Service said there is no ongoing risk to the public, though it said no further details could be shared while the investigation continues.
Heavy law enforcement response near the Iowa Capitol
Video from CNN affiliate WOI showed emergency responders in tactical helmets outside the facility, along with more than a dozen law enforcement vehicles. The post office sits just north of downtown Des Moines, about a mile from the state Capitol building.
As the investigation unfolded, U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, whose district includes Des Moines, posted on Facebook that his prayers were with the victims, their families and everyone affected by the shooting. He also thanked first responders for reaching the scene.
The facility remained the focus of a broad law enforcement response while officials worked to secure the area and gather witness accounts.
Workplace violence fears return after another postal shooting
The attack revived memories of earlier workplace violence involving postal employees in the 1980s and 1990s, which helped turn “going postal” into a phrase associated with mass violence on the job. The deadliest of those incidents was in 1986, when Patrick Henry Sherrill killed 14 co-workers at a post office in Edmond, Oklahoma, before killing himself.
The case also came one month after the National Threat Assessment Center of the U.S. Secret Service released guidance on workplace violence. The study said employers should take concerns seriously when an employee’s behavior raises alarms, even without an explicit threat of harm.
Authorities have not said whether anyone had previously raised concerns about behavior at the Des Moines facility before Thursday’s shooting.
Union leader urges time to recover from the shock
Bates said he had spoken with several union members who work in the building and stressed that employees will need time to recover from what happened. He said the incident could have been worse, but that surviving it will still leave lasting damage.
The shooting has left coworkers, first responders and investigators dealing with a sudden act of violence inside a workplace that many employees were expecting to be routine on Thursday morning. For now, police say the public is not in danger, but the case remains an active felony investigation.
Officials continue to collect evidence and interview witnesses as they work to piece together how the shooting began and why it unfolded inside the postal facility.