A Bulldog Alert was sent out to students at 2:19 p.m. on Oct. 28 stating that “DPS is aware there was a report of shots fired at 2420 University Ave.” 

The incident took place off-campus, with one small hole discovered in the glass window of the business Ancient Ways. No injuries were sustained.

Heather Williams, an astrologer at Ancient Ways, was jotting down her schedule when she heard a loud pop. She didn’t have a chance to turn around when she felt something hit the back of her ear.

“I couldn’t tell if I was bleeding at first or not,” Williams said. “I was looking around trying to figure out what hit me…I noticed the hole in the wall.”

A shard of glass was the culprit. Williams declined medical attention as it did not cause any bleeding, though it was slightly swollen. According to Des Moines Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Paul Parizek at the scene, the hole in the window appeared to be caused by a “pellet gun or a small caliber firearm.” 

The Des Moines Police Department now believes the damage may have been caused by a slingshot or a similar projectile, instead of a gunshot. It was reported that nobody in the area heard gunfire.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to find some surveillance video around here somewhere, give us a better answer,” Parizek said. 

Ancient Ways’ tarot and oracle advisor Angel Vaughn recalls seeing nobody around the store except for a teal SUV. It is unclear whether the SUV was driving past the store at the time of the incident.

Executive Director of Public Safety and University Operations Scott Law stated that the case is being handled by the DMPD as it did not happen on-campus and was directed at a private business.