A shooting at a Des Moines post office on 2nd Avenue disrupted a morning meeting, leaving employees emotionally distraught as they fled and hid from the gunfire.
Mike Bates, president of the American Postal Workers Union for Local Office 44, said the shooting happened during a daily morning meeting, where 20 to 30 employees were gathered. Bates quickly arrived on scene after hearing about the incident and spoke with union members who were inside the building.
An employee, who Bates said has been a family friend for more than 30 years, described hearing gunshots from the service bay.
“He said he was standing there on the service dock looking at his supervisor and he heard the first gunshot and everyone on the service dock just looked around,” Bates said. “Then they heard the second one. That’s when the supervisor was telling people to hide behind machines and take cover.”
Bates said employees on the second floor fled, some hiding as the gunfire got closer.
For one woman Bates spoke with, the experience was particularly harrowing.
“There was a girl who hid under the table and the active shooter walked by her, seeing the gun, and this woman was very distressed. Her daughter couldn’t get a hold of her because she left her cell phone on the table where she was hiding, and then once she was ready to run, she ran,” Bates said.
Authorities confirmed that apart from the three victims, no other injured people had been found. Bates noted that no one else was physically injured, but the emotional toll on employees was significant.
Employees were bused to another location where counselors were available to provide support. Bates stressed the importance of giving employees time to recover from such a terrifying situation.
“It could have been a lot worse, but it’s this whole situation and going through this that’s going to cause the most damage,” Bates said.
Postal worker shares emotional moment with KCCI reporter after post office shooting
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