Ames Police Department provides update on shooting suspects

The Office of the President releases new information regarding masks, vaccinations and how the fall 2021 semester will look.

Kylee Haueter

Ames Police provided an update Thursday morning on last week’s shooting at Brookside Park, including information regarding the suspects.

The victim has been identified as 20-year-old Devin M. Lagrone of Marshalltown. Commander Jason Tuttle of the Ames Police Department said Lagrone is still at a Des Moines hospital, but looks like he will survive his injuries.

Arrest warrants have been issued for two suspects, each charged with attempted murder and robbery in the first degree, both class “B” felonies.

The two suspects are 19-year-old Jonathan M. Thompson and an unnamed 16-year-old male, both from Ames. The juvenile remained unnamed due to his age.

Police picked up the juvenile yesterday afternoon and transported him to the Central Iowa Juvenile Detention Center in Eldora. Thompson’s whereabouts are unknown.

Tuttle said the incident was a botched drug deal.

“The victim and his friend met the 16-year-old juvenile and Thompson at Brookside Park for a drug deal,” he said. “While they were in the car, Thompson pulled out a gun, tried to rob the two victims of their cash and drugs, the victim got into a physical altercation with Thompson and that’s when he was shot in the chest.”

Lagrone’s friend took him to Mary Greeley Medical Center, where the shooting was then reported to the police.

Tuttle said that using information both from the victims and from other witnesses around the scene, they were able to identify Thompson and the juvenile.

The Ames Police Department will be continuing to investigate this incident. Anyone with information regarding this incident or Thompson’s whereabouts can contact Ames PD at (515) 239-5133 or (515) 239-5533.