Two shot at Des Moines post office; third person injured while escaping
USPS says its Des Moines processing center, retail office and Business Mail Entry Unit have reopened. Some mail and packages may still be delayed.
USPS confirms the facility has reopened
USPS said Friday, November 6, that its Des Moines Processing and Distribution Center and the retail office in the same building had reopened after Thursday’s shooting. The Postal Service said Caller Service customers could resume picking up mail and that the Business Mail Entry Unit had also reopened. USPS warned that incoming letters, flats and packages could still be delayed as processing returned to its normal pace over the next 24 to 48 hours. The bulletin did not give an exact reopening time. [10]
Thursday’s USPS industry notice had warned of possible delays following the temporary closure. Second Avenue reopened to traffic Thursday morning, according to the Des Moines Register. Friday’s PostalPro bulletin is the facility-level confirmation missing from the earlier BTO report. The general USPS alerts page still displayed the closure warning when BTO checked Friday afternoon. The facility-specific reopening bulletin identifies which operations resumed and carries the agency’s residual-delay warning. [10] [9] [11] [8]
What happened Thursday
DES MOINES, Iowa — Two people were shot and a third was injured while escaping a shooting Thursday morning at the city’s main post office, authorities said. [1]
All three injured people were receiving hospital treatment, and police said their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. Police told KCRG that two suffered gunshot wounds and the third was hurt in a fall. [2]
All three injured people worked at the facility, KCCI reported, citing Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek. [3]
Des Moines police identified the postal employee arrested after the November 5 shooting as Jennifer Pledger, 39, of West Des Moines, according to follow-up reporting. Police said she faces two counts of attempted murder, two counts of willful injury causing serious injury and one count of intimidation with a dangerous weapon. These are allegations. BTO has not independently reviewed the charging documents. [7] [1]
Emergency response began after 9 a.m.
The shooting was reported around 9:10 a.m. at the main post office at 1165 Second Ave., near University Avenue. Police said the gunfire occurred on the second floor. [4]
Parizek said the 911 call came from inside the building and officers arrived within about three minutes, KCRG reported. The facility includes regional mail-sorting operations and a public service counter. It stands across from MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center. [2]
In an initial briefing, Parizek said there had been one shooter and that the scene was secure, according to the Des Moines Register’s reporting as summarized by WFTV. One injured person reached a medical facility without ambulance transport, the report said. [5]
Police initially asked the public to avoid Second and University avenues while investigators worked, FOX 9 reported. [4]
Nearby school buildings temporarily secured
Des Moines Public Schools restricted entry and exit at a nearby elementary school, its welcome center and its nutrition center after police notified the district at 9:20 a.m. The restrictions were lifted at 10 a.m., the district said. [1]
Gov. Kim Reynolds said she was in contact with the Iowa Department of Public Safety and confirmed that the suspect was in custody while the investigation continued. [6]
“We are monitoring the situation and our prayers are with everyone involved,” Reynolds wrote. “Grateful for the immediate response by law enforcement.” [6]
Police give an update on the injured employees
At a separate 10 a.m. Central briefing on Friday, Des Moines police said they expected all three injured employees to recover fully, KCRG reported. Two employees were shot and a third was injured escaping Thursday. Police said they had yet to establish a motive. The charges in the original story remain allegations. [12]
For operators with a stop at this facility
Dispatch should confirm the assigned receiving window, entrance and instructions for any appointment affected by Thursday’s closure. Friday’s notice covers the facility’s status and names several resumed services. It leaves individual dock slots, contractor gate procedures and the recovery time for a specific shipment unresolved. For a delayed run, keep the appointment notice, revised dispatch instructions and arrival and release timestamps together so the carrier can reconcile any service exception under its contract. [10]
Sources & reporting notes
This story summarizes attributed news reports and the governor’s public statement. BTO did not witness the incident or independently interview police. BTO checked initial reports November 5 at 11:47 a.m. CST and rechecked the charges November 6. BTO reviewed the USPS reopening bulletin and reporting from the Friday police briefing at 2:05–2:10 p.m. CST. This is a developing story; the findings described above are preliminary. AI-assisted research and drafting; publication approved by Mark. Read our standards.
- Associated Press. Injury count, emergency timeline, school-district statement and police-attributed update on charges and condition.
- KCRG. Police account of injuries, employee suspect and initial response; updated 11:46 a.m. CST.
- KCCI. Police confirmation that all three injured people are employees; updated 11:43 a.m. CST.
- FOX 9. Facility location, suspect status and published road advisory.
- WFTV. Initial police briefing, citing the Des Moines Register.
- Gov. Kim Reynolds. Original public statement on the response and custody.
- Radio Iowa’s November 5 report, attributing the charges to Des Moines police.
- Des Moines Register, syndicated copy. Originally posted November 5 at 9:36 a.m. CST and subsequently updated. Precise update timestamp unavailable. Road reopening reflects the reporter’s same-day account.
- USPS PostalPro initial delay notice, November 5.
- USPS PostalPro reopening bulletin and attached PDF, November 6. Reopened facility and services, residual delays and expected recovery window.
- USPS general service alerts. Checked November 6. The page then showed a 12:30 p.m. Eastern update and still displayed the closure warning.
- KCRG reporting hosted by KWQC, November 6. The page first appeared at 8:59 a.m. Central and was updated with reporting from the 10 a.m. police briefing. Exact update time not displayed in the accessible copy.
Image credit & context
FILE PHOTO: A U.S. Postal Service delivery truck, photographed December 17, 2023. Not the Des Moines post office or shooting scene. Photo: Ty Nigh / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0. Cropped by TaurusEmerald; BTO proportionally resized and encoded this version. No scene alteration or endorsement implied.
The original photograph was cropped by TaurusEmerald on Wikimedia Commons on February 25, 2024. BTO’s responsive covers retain that crop and the whole supplied photograph is placed on the sharing card. BTO added card text outside the photograph. The CC BY 2.0 license permits commercial reuse with attribution. This illustrative photograph does not document the incident.