DES MOINES, Iowa — Three people were injured in a shooting Thursday morning, November 5, 2026, at the Main Post Office in Des Moines, and a suspect has been detained, according to the Des Moines Police Department.

The shooting happened shortly after 9 a.m. at the United States Postal Service office at 1165 Second Ave. Police said the report placed the shooter on the second floor of the building.

Update, late Thursday morning: Police said the suspect is a female U.S. Postal Service employee. She was detained at 9:21 a.m. on a bike trail east of the post office after witnesses pointed her out. All three injured people are also Postal Service employees — two were shot and one was injured in a fall — and all three are stable. Two of the injured drove themselves to MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center, and a police officer transported the third. The incident lasted about 11 minutes from the first 911 calls at about 9:10 a.m., with the first officer on scene in about three minutes. Second Avenue reopened at about 10:45 a.m., but the post office remains closed. The Postal Inspection Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting, with federal agencies from Kansas City en route.

Update, Thursday evening: Police have identified the suspect as Jennifer Pledger, 39, of West Des Moines. She has been charged with five felony counts: two counts of attempted murder, a Class B felony under Iowa Code 707.11(1); two counts of willful injury causing serious injury, a Class C felony under Iowa Code 708.4(1); and one count of intimidation with a dangerous weapon, a Class C felony under Iowa Code 708.6(1). She is being held at the Polk County Jail. Police say a 9 mm handgun was recovered where she was arrested. The three injured people — a 45-year-old woman, a 53-year-old woman and a 55-year-old man, all Postal Service employees — remain stable; the two women were shot and the man was injured in a fall while escaping. Police say 10 to 12 shots were fired on the second floor. No motive has been released.

Update, Friday, November 6, 2026: At a news conference Friday morning, Des Moines police said all three injured employees are expected to recover; the two women who were shot suffered multiple gunshot wounds, according to court filings. Pledger’s initial court appearance is scheduled for Monday, November 16, 2026, at the Polk County Criminal Courts Building, and a no-contact order has been ordered against her. She remains in the Polk County Jail on no bail. Police said a search warrant was executed at what is believed to be Pledger’s residence in West Des Moines, but they did not disclose what evidence was recovered. No motive has been disclosed, and police said there is no evidence the shooting was a domestic issue; Pledger may face additional charges, and she has not received federal charges as of Friday morning. The Main Post Office at 1165 Second Ave. is open as of Friday morning. Police said more than 200 employees were working at the post office at the time of the shooting, and more than 100 officers from more than a dozen federal and local agencies responded.