A man was shot in downtown Des Moines early Tuesday afternoon after painting some vulgar words on a truck. Des Moines police Sergeant Todd Dykstra says the man was using black spray paint on a white pick-up and some of the words were obscene. “Around the courthouse there was a shooting involving a uniformed Polk County deputy where an individual was shot,” Dykstra says. Witnesses say a deputy asked the man to stop hsi spray painting. He ran, then turned back tot eh truck and jumped on top of it. After pointing the spray can at the deputy, he then reached into his back pocket, according to witnesses, and that’s when the deputy fired his gun. Just before five o’clock, Dykstra said details were still sketchy. “We are interviewing several witnesses and hopefully after we speak with them we’ll be able to determine just exactly what happened,” Dykstra said during a telephone interview with Radio Iowa. The man painted the words “Police Academy 7” on one side of the truck. Witnesses say there were obscenities painted on the other side. “We don’t know what significance that plays but we’re trying to sort through all of that right now,” Dykstra said. The man was taken to a Des Moines hospital for treatment. No condition report’s available.
