Two Ottumwa men are in critical condition after an argument at a Des Moines bar led to a shooting, a police chase and another shooting. Des Moines police spokesman Todd Dykstra says officers were first called to an argument at the bar just after one A.M. between 21-year-old Jerry Miller and 20-year-old Darrell Johnson. Sergeant Dykstra says officers then learned that Johnson shot Miller.
He says the investigation indicates that the argument stemmed from Miller trying to stop Johnson from driving drunk. Dykstra says the shooting happened after Miller tried to pull Johnson from the driver’s seat. Dykstra says officers spotted Johnson leaving the scene in Miller’s car and chased him for about 25 blocks before executing a maneuver to cause the car to spin out.
He says Johnson got out of the car and pointed a silver handgun at officers. He says the officers both fired and hit Johnson. Dykstra says both men have multiple wounds. He says Miller was taken to a Des Moines hospital and is listed in critical condition. He says Miller is wanted on a warrant for harassment from Wappelo County. Dykstra says Johnson is in the same Des Moines hospital in critical condition and is charged with three counts of attempted murder. Dykstra does not know how much both men drank before the argument. He says they’ll do blood tests on both men, but he says he doesn’t know how intoxicated the men were. Dykstra says additional charges involving underage drinking could be filed against Johnson and possibly the bar as the investigation continues.
The two Des Moines police officers were not injured and as dictated by department policy — have been placed on paid leave while the state conducts an investigation of the shooting.