DES MOINES, IA — Des Moines police say a 39-year-old woman shot another woman in the arm Thursday afternoon after being confronted about an alleged theft.
Keona Campbell was taken into custody less than 40 minutes after officers were sent to an apartment building in the 6300 block of Urbandale Avenue just before 4:30 p.m. Police said callers to 911 first reported gunfire and then reported that someone had been shot.
Officers found an adult woman with a gunshot wound to her arm. She was taken to a local hospital, and police said the injury was not believed to be life-threatening.
911 calls led officers to the apartment building on Urbandale Avenue
According to police, the first emergency calls came in as reports of shots fired at the apartment building. Callers then told dispatchers that a person had been hit, which sent officers to the scene with urgency.
When officers arrived, they located the injured woman and began looking for the shooter. Police said the confrontation began after the accused shooter was questioned about an alleged theft.
The apartment complex sits in the 6300 block of Urbandale Avenue, a busy area on the west side of the city. Police have not said what was allegedly taken or how the argument started beyond the theft accusation.
Police searched with a perimeter, drone and K-9 help
Campbell fled after the shooting, and police said she was believed to still have a handgun. Officers secured a perimeter around the area and used a drone to help search for her.
An Ankeny police K-9 officer also assisted in the search. Police later received a tip from a resident who said someone was hiding on their property a little more than a block from the shooting scene.
Officers found Campbell there and arrested her without incident. Police said the arrest came less than 40 minutes after they were first called to the apartment building.
Handgun recovered outside a nearby home after the arrest
Police said the handgun believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered outside a nearby home. Investigators did not say whether Campbell still had the weapon when she was found or how it ended up outside the residence.
The recovery of the gun was part of the immediate follow-up to the arrest. Detectives and officers continued working the area after Campbell was taken into custody.
Police have not said whether anyone else was involved in the confrontation or whether the woman who was shot knew Campbell before Thursday’s incident.
Attempted murder and felon-in-possession charges filed
Campbell was charged with attempted murder, which is a Class B felony, and possession of a firearm as a felon, a Class D felony. Police also said she had an active arrest warrant tied to an unrelated burglary charge.
The charges reflect both the shooting allegation and the firearm accusation. Des Moines police have not released any court schedule or additional details about whether Campbell has entered a plea.
The injured woman’s condition was described as not believed to be life-threatening, and she was treated at a local hospital after the shooting.
Des Moines police crimes-against-persons investigators continue case
The Des Moines Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Section is continuing the investigation. That unit typically handles serious assaults and other violent offenses, and investigators are still gathering details from the scene and witnesses.
For now, police have provided only the basic sequence: a theft confrontation, gunfire, an injured woman, a search and an arrest. The case remains active as detectives work through evidence connected to the shooting and the recovered weapon.
Police have not announced any further arrests, and no additional injuries were reported in connection with the incident.
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