Public Safety

Postal worker charged with attempted murder after shooting 2 co-workers at Des Moines post office

Des Moines, Iowa • November 6, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

A brick post office building with police cars parked outside and yellow police tape in the foreground

Editorial illustration — Press Pass USA

A U.S. Postal Service employee is charged with two counts of attempted murder after police say she shot two co-workers at the main post office in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday morning. She made her first court appearance Friday and is being held without bond. All three injured employees are expected to recover.

The shooting broke out shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday on the second floor of the post office at 1165 Second Ave., just north of downtown Des Moines, during a morning huddle of about 20 to 30 employees, police said. The second floor is a restricted area that is not open to the public. More than 200 employees were working in the building at the time.

Police identified the suspect as Jennifer Christine Pledger, 39, of West Des Moines. Witnesses told investigators she shot at a group of co-workers, and that after one woman fell to the ground, Pledger stood over her and fired again before continuing to shoot as workers fled, according to a police news release.

Two women, ages 45 and 53, suffered gunshot wounds. A third employee, a 55-year-old man, was hurt in a fall while trying to escape. None of the injuries is believed to be life-threatening, police said.

Calls to 911 began around 9:10 a.m., and three officers arrived within a minute, Des Moines Police Chief Michael McTaggart said Friday. Pledger was detained about 9:21 a.m. by probation and parole officers on a bike trail east of the post office, and a 9 mm handgun was recovered nearby, police said.

Pledger is charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of willful injury causing serious injury and one count of intimidation with a dangerous weapon — all felonies, according to police. She is being held at the Polk County Jail.

Investigators have not identified a motive. Police have spoken with Pledger and seized evidence from her home, and authorities are investigating whether the attack was targeted, according to The Associated Press. Des Moines police are leading the investigation with assistance from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which said there is no ongoing risk to the public. The post office reopened Friday morning.

Sources: The Associated Press, "Investigators are looking into whether an Iowa postal worker targeted her colleague in shooting" (Nov. 6, 2026); CNN, "Postal worker charged with attempted murder after shooting 2 co-workers at Des Moines post office, police say" (Nov. 5, 2026, updated Nov. 6); Des Moines Register, "Post office shooting victims expected to recover, police say" (Nov. 6, 2026).