Ankeny teenager wanted for first-degree murder in shooting death of 15-year-old
An Iowa police department is looking for an 18-year-old from Ankeny who they believe shot and killed a 15-year-old on Independence Day.
Police responded to calls about someone being shot near South 15th Street and Fourth Avenue South in Fort Dodge on Tuesday at about 9:44 p.m., according to a news release. When they arrived, they found a 15-year-old in the street suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. First responders attempted life saving efforts but he died at the scene, according to the release.
On Wednesday, the Fort Dodge Police Department issued an arrest warrant for 18-year-old Ankeny resident Jamarrion James Davis, also known as J.J., for first-degree murder. Davis has not been located by police and "should be considered armed and dangerous," the department wrote in a news release.
Davis is 5'8" and 115 pounds. Anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts is encouraged to contact local law enforcement. Webster County Crime Stoppers is offering a $500 reward for anyone with information that leads to his arrest.
City calls on citizens to help counter 'uptick in criminal activity'
This most recent act of violence comes just over two weeks after a shooting in Fort Dodge killed 14-year-old Dakari Jayvon James. The alleged shooter, 19-year-old Isaac Alexander Bachman, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
On Wednesday afternoon, city officials released a letter addressing "an uptick in criminal activity that, in several cases, appears to originate from a specific group of individuals."
"These individuals are choosing to engage in targeted violence directed toward one another," read the letter, signed by Mayor Matt Bemrich, City Manager David Fierke and Fort Dodge Police Chief Dennis Quinn. "This violence cannot and will not be tolerated in Fort Dodge and is made more concerning due to the involvement of some of our community's youth."
The letter stated that the police department is partnering with all other local and statewide law enforcement organizations to "proactively police Fort Dodge." It also calls upon citizens to report suspicious behavior to authorities, safely store firearms and register their home or business security cameras to the city's Community Camera Project.
"Let's work as a team and show those who choose to involve themselves in this senseless violence that we won't tolerate their behaviors. We are so much stronger when we work together as a community. Let's do that now," the letter said.
Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at@francescablock3.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ankeny teen accused of killing 15-year-old on July 4th in Fort Dodge
