Dee Friesen | Co Editor-in-Chief
Reports by Kylee Deering | Arts + Life Editor
Two police officers were killed early Wednesday morning in Des Moines and Urbandale, Iowa. The officers have been identified as Sgt. Anthony Beminio, 39, of the Des Moines Police Department and Officer Justin Martin, 24, of the Urbandale Police Department.
Scott M. Greene, 46, of Urbandale, was identified as the suspect in the shootings and hours later was apprehended by police. Greene had several encounters with police over the years including an incident on Oct. 14 when officers escorted Greene out of a high school football game after an incident over a Confederate flag Greene had brought into the stadium.
It was just after 1:00 a.m. when Urbandale police were notified of shots fired. Urbandale High School student Alex Hein said he could hear the shots from his window. The first shooting, which killed Martin, occurred at an intersection near the school.
“I heard the gunshots from my window, and my initial reaction was just kind of shock,” Hein said.
Minutes later, in Des Moines, Beminio, a husband and father, was found killed. Both men were likely approached while in their vehicles and rolled down their windows to a citizen knocking. Ambushed, the policemen were caught off guard and unable to defend themselves while multiple shots were fired.
The proximity to Urbandale High School and the links of Greene to the school have understandably shaken up some students. The high school was closed on Wednesday, but classes will resume Thursday. According to the Des Moines Register, Greene has a daughter who attends the high school.
Enrique Idehen, an Urbandale High School student, reacted to the shootings.
“I was shocked that it happened so close to where I lived, because not a lot of shootings happen here in Urbandale, but for one to be so close to where I live and close to the high school, I was shocked and surprised,” he said.
Idehen commented on how the hours following the incident have affected him and the students at his school.
“I think everyone is seeing this in a different light now. I think respect for police and the community as a whole has increased. I think everyone is coming together now,” Idehen said.
While the incident was close to home for the students, it also shook the entire state of Iowa and especially the state’s police officers. The local Chief of Police of the Storm Lake Police Department, Mark Prosser, noted that tragedies like this affect police and in turn the communities they serve.
“I think the officers more than ever have to be on guard. And when they’re on guard, sometimes they present themselves a little bit more stand-off-ish, a little bit more defensive, and that in turn, can impact the very relationships we’re trying to create in the community day in and day out. So all officers, no matter where they’re at, here, across the state or across the country, have to be able to balance that,” Prosser said.
Prosser explained that building relationships in communities is a top priority for SLPD officers and officers around the nation. He also said he and his officers are thinking of the families and officers in the Des Moines and Urbandale areas in the midst of this tragedy.
“We’re pretty sad, and our hearts go out to the families and the agencies, and it’s just not easy,” Prosser said. “It’s not easy when we lose an officer across the country. Our officers feel it; all officers feel it. It’s a pretty tight knit group. But when it’s in our own state and neighbors to us, it’s especially difficult.”
