Man gets 65 years in prison for Des Moines school shooting that killed 2 students

Advertisement

Advertise with us

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge sentenced an Iowa man to 65 years in prison Thursday for killing two students at a Des Moines alternative school and injuring the program's founder.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/01/2024 (970 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge sentenced an Iowa man to 65 years in prison Thursday for killing two students at a Des Moines alternative school and injuring the program’s founder.

Polk County District Judge Larry McLellan sentenced Preston Walls, 19, to consecutive terms for his September conviction on charges of second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and assault causing serious injury.

A jury convicted Walls after he acknowledged killing Rashad Carr, 16, and Gionni Dameron, 18, on Jan. 23, 2023, at the Starts Right Here alternative school on the edge of downtown Des Moines. Will Keeps, the school’s founder, also was shot but survived. He quickly reopened the program, which is operated through a contract with Des Moines public schools.

FILE - Law enforcement officers stand outside a school housing an educational program called Starts Right Here, affiliated with the Des Moines, Iowa, School District, following a shooting, Jan. 23, 2023, in Des Moines. A judge sentenced Preston Walls to 65 years in prison Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, for killing two students at the alternative school and injuring the program's founder. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Des Moines Register via AP, File)
FILE - Law enforcement officers stand outside a school housing an educational program called Starts Right Here, affiliated with the Des Moines, Iowa, School District, following a shooting, Jan. 23, 2023, in Des Moines. A judge sentenced Preston Walls to 65 years in prison Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, for killing two students at the alternative school and injuring the program's founder. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Des Moines Register via AP, File)

Walls said he feared for his life after earlier encounters with Carr and Dameron.

Walls must serve at least 40 years of his sentence before he is eligible for release. He also must pay $150,000 in restitution to the families of Carr and Dameron.

Jurors acquitted another man, Bravon Tukes, who had been charged with murder and other counts after he drove Walls away from the shooting. Walls testified in that trial, saying Tukes hadn’t planned the shooting and had no role in the killings.

Report Error Submit a Tip

World

LOAD WORLD ARTICLES