Campus Alert Archive
Drake

Two Parties Exchange Gunfire Three Blocks From Drake: King Elementary Goes 'Secure' During Dismissal

IAshootingtimely warningmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On Thursday afternoon, November 6, 2025, Des Moines police responded to reports of an exchange of gunfire in the 1800 block of Clark Street — approximately three blocks south of Drake University's main campus. Callers reported that 'two parties' exchanged gunfire before fleeing the area. Drake Public Safety pushed advisory alerts urging students to avoid the immediate area south of campus, and King Elementary School three blocks south was placed in 'Secure' status during dismissal. No injuries were reported at the time of initial reports. Two men were later charged. Drake's emergency procedures manual governs the campus response framework.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
1
Institution
Drake University
Private R2 · IA
~4,800 studentsRave GuardianBulldog Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from WHO 13 News and We Are Iowa reporting describing the Drake-neighborhood shooting response — exact verbatim Drake Alert text was not published192 chars
Bulldog Alert: Des Moines Police are responding to a report of shots fired in the 1800 block of Clark Street, south of campus. Avoid the area. Public Safety is monitoring. Updates will follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed text. Drake Public Safety has not published the verbatim alert publicly; news outlets confirm Drake pushed advisory-level alerts to community members in addition to DMPD's coordinated response
The 1800 block of Clark Street is approximately three blocks south of Drake's main campus — close enough that Drake's policy triggers advisory messaging but not a full shelter-in-place
The phrasing 'two parties exchanged gunfire' implies a confrontation between identifiable parties rather than a random or targeted-at-Drake event — a distinction that shapes whether Drake classifies this as 'timely warning' (Clery crime nearby) or 'emergency notification' (immediate campus threat)
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from We Are Iowa reporting that Des Moines Public Schools described 'Secure' rather than 'lockdown' status and that there was 'no indication of any ongoing danger'199 chars
Bulldog Alert: Des Moines Police have secured the area near Clark Street. There is no indication of any ongoing danger to the Drake community. Classes continue as scheduled. Investigation is ongoing.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed update. We Are Iowa specifically reported officials said 'there was no indication of any ongoing danger in the area' — language paraphrased here in Drake Alert format
The 'Secure' versus 'lockdown' distinction at King Elementary is significant: 'Secure' means students remain inside but normal activities can continue; 'lockdown' means students take active hide-and-shelter posture
DMPD initially reported the school as in 'lockdown' before Des Moines Public Schools corrected the public statement to 'Secure'
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstruction545 chars
Drake Public Safety Timely Warning: Yesterday afternoon, Des Moines Police responded to a report of shots fired in the 1800 block of Clark Street, approximately three blocks south of campus. Two parties were reportedly involved in an exchange of gunfire before fleeing the area. There were no reported injuries to Drake students or staff. DMPD's investigation is ongoing and additional charges may follow. Drake students should remain vigilant in the south-campus area and report any suspicious activity to Drake Public Safety at (515) 271-2222.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed timely warning consistent with Drake's standard Clery-triggered notification format and the documented facts of the incident
Timely warnings are typically issued within 24-48 hours of a qualifying Clery crime occurring 'on or adjacent to campus' — the 1800 Clark Street location qualifies under Drake's broader patrol zone
Two men were later charged; Drake's follow-up updates students on the resolution but does not name the suspects in the timely warning
Context

Background

Drake University is a private R2 institution in the Drake neighborhood of Des Moines, Iowa, with about 4,800 students. On Thursday afternoon, November 6, 2025, Des Moines police responded to a report of an exchange of gunfire in the 1800 block of Clark Street — approximately three blocks south of Drake's main campus. Two parties exchanged gunfire and fled the area. King Elementary School (Des Moines Public Schools), three blocks south of Drake, was placed in 'Secure' status during dismissal. Drake's emergency response was advisory rather than shelter-in-place — the shooting was classified as a Clery 'timely warning' (continuing-threat Clery crime nearby) rather than 'emergency notification' (immediate campus threat). The Drake neighborhood has experienced multiple shootings in 2024-2025 around the campus perimeter, illustrating the recurring edge-of-campus violence pattern that drives most Drake Public Safety timely warnings — distinct from the on-campus incidents that drive emergency notifications. Two men were later charged in connection with the shooting.
Analysis

Key Findings

The Clark Street shooting was three blocks south of Drake's main campus, classified as a Clery 'timely warning' rather than 'emergency notification' — a distinction worth tracking, because the Clery-warning category is statistically more common at urban-campus institutions like Drake
King Elementary School was placed in 'Secure' status (not lockdown), and Des Moines Police initially mis-reported the school as in 'lockdown' before Des Moines Public Schools corrected the public language — a small but instructive example of cross-agency communication confusion
Drake's response was advisory ('avoid the area') rather than shelter-in-place ('lock doors') — reflecting both the off-campus location and the fact that the gunfire involved two parties confronting each other rather than a targeted-at-Drake threat
The Drake neighborhood has had multiple shootings around the campus perimeter in 2024-2025, a sustained edge-of-campus violence pattern documented in Drake Public Safety's Clery reports
Outcome
No reported injuries from the initial incident, though one person was later identified as injured in subsequent Des Moines police updates. Two men were later charged in connection with the Drake-neighborhood shooting. King Elementary School (DMPS) was held in 'Secure' status (not full lockdown) during dismissal. Drake classes continued.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Des Moines elementary school under 'Secure' action after gunfire was reported nearby (We Are Iowa)
    weareiowa.com
  2. News
    Des Moines elementary school under lockdown after reports of gunfire nearby (WHO 13)
    who13.com
  3. News
    Local 5 News (We Are Iowa) X post on the November 6, 2025 Drake-neighborhood gunfire
    x.com
  4. Official
    Active Shooter (Drake University Public Safety)
    drake.edu
  5. Clery ASR
    Drake Public Safety Annual Security Report / Clery Information
    drake.edu
  6. Official
    Emergency Procedures Manual (Drake University)
    drake.edu
Tags
shootingtimely-warningoff-campusiowadrake-universityprivate-r2edge-of-campus-violencedes-moinesk12-secure-status
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion