Full, unrestricted audio from Veterans’ Day standoff
The following is the complete, unrestricted version of Des Moines Police radio traffic provided by Dispatches From Iowa of the Veterans’ Day standoff at 5517 Aurora Avenue in Des Moines.
The 50-minute audio file begins at the very beginning as patrol cars are dispatched to the Target store at Merle Hay Mall where witnesses reported a female was forced into a vehicle. Moments later, another 911 call reported a domestic at 5517 Aurora, reported by a third party. The dispatcher connected the abduction to this domestic.
The suspect, standing on the apartment’s balcony, shot a police officer in the hand as he was getting out of his car. “Officer down” can be heard several times. The suspect held a female hostage and kept police at bay for more than an hour. The audio ends as the suspect was taken into custody and normal radio traffic resumes. Unrelated audio traffic at the beginning was edited out for clarity.
Radio traffic provides more insight as to how the Des Moines Police contained the scene, evacuated residents, and how dispatchers kept officers calm in moments of chaos and uncertainty. Dispatches From Iowa voluntarily withheld publication of this file until all persons involved were identified by official sources, and after the Des Moines Police officially released dispatch recordings.
Click here to download the mp3 audio file. Extremely large file. 50 minutes, 26 seconds — 23 MB
Click here for more information about the incident from the Des Moines Register.