Editor’s note: This story was updated Wednesday evening to include the statement from Ames Police and court records.
A Chicago man was charged with attempted murder Wednesday evening after one person was injured in a shooting in west Ames earlier in the day, according to a press release from the Ames Police Department.
At 2:53 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, Ames Police received a report of a shooting in a parking lot in the 4700 block of Mortensen Road. The suspect, Lyndon Dembry, 33, was apprehended in the 4500 block of Mortensen Road at 3:16 p.m.
The release also stated the victim, who was shot in the upper body, was transferred to a MercyOne Medical Center in Des Moines and her current medical status is unknown.
The Daily contacted Ames Police Major and Public Information Officer Jason Tuttle multiple times but did not receive a response.
Dembry was charged Wednesday evening with attempted murder, a class B felony, dominion and control of a firearm by a felon, a class D felony, and domestic assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, an aggravated misdemeanor.
A person with Dembry’s full name and age was charged in Illinois in 2018 and 2024 in two separate felony domestic violence cases, according to Illinois court records. In 2018, one charge for domestic battery ended in a guilty plea in the same year.
In January, the person who matches Dembry’s information was charged with six counts of domestic violence, including two class 2 felonies. The trial is set to begin Dec. 18.
An Iowa court record on Nov. 9, which also matched Dembry’s age and full name, stated Dembry was charged with going 21 or more over a 55 mph speed limit in Cedar County. The county is located in eastern Iowa and includes I-80 between Johnson and Scott counties.
Surrounding the incident Wednesday, Ames Middle School and Edwards Elementary were temporarily placed under “Secure” protocol, a protocol issued when a non-imminent threat is occurring outside the building, according to an email sent to families from the Ames Community School District.
“At 3:10 p.m. today, students and staff at Ames Middle School and Edwards Elementary were placed in a Secure protocol following reports of gunfire in the vicinity,” according to the email.
The email also stated the protocol was lifted at 3:20 p.m. upon advisement from the Ames Police Department.
