6 dead after separate shootings along Mississippi River, police say
A suspected gunman killed six people in a shooting spree across a small city in east-central Iowa before he was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
In a news release Monday, the Muscatine Police Department said it was “actively investigating a series of homicides” at multiple locations within the city. Muscatine, Iowa, which has a population of more than 23,000, lies along the Mississippi River about 67 miles southeast of Cedar Rapids.
“Today, I simply do not have the words − this act of evil and what it has done to our community,” Muscatine Police Chief Anthony Kies said at a brief news conference. There was no “active threat” to the community, he said.
After receiving a report of a shooting, police said, officers and emergency medical personnel discovered four people dead at a residence. In the preliminary investigation, detectives learned there could be additional victims, and officers then found two men dead in separate locations.
Officers also located the suspect, 52-year-old Ryan Willis McFarland, near the first residence on a trail along the Mississippi River, police said.
“Preliminary findings indicate the shootings stemmed from a domestic‑related dispute,” the Muscatine Police Department said in the news release. “All victims are believed to be family members of the deceased suspect.”
The Muscatine Fire Department, Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are assisting local police in the investigation, Kies said. The police chief noted investigators were still processing the crime scenes and interviewing witnesses.
The Muscatine Police Department asked anyone with information on the shootings to contact the department’s Major Crimes Unit.
At about 12:12 p.m. local time June 1, police said, the Muscatine County Joint Communications Center received a report of a shooting at a residence near the Mississippi River. Officers responded and found four people with gunshot wounds. They were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
After the report of the shooting, the Muscatine County 911 Center and Muscatine County Emergency Management asked the public at about 12:46 p.m. local time to avoid “the area of the riverfront and the river end side” of Park Avenue because of an active investigation.
McFarland had left the residence before officers arrived at the scene, police said. Officers found him on the Riverfront Trail near the pedestrian bridge.
“He was found with a self‑inflicted gunshot wound,” police said in the news release. “Officers and EMS personnel provided medical aid, but he was pronounced deceased at the scene.”
Further investigation revealed there may have been more victims linked to the case, police said. Officers later found two men dead from apparent gunshot wounds. One man was inside another residence about 2 miles from the first residence, and another man was discovered at a business near the second residence.
Police have not released the identities of the victims pending notification of family members. Kies said the suspect had a criminal record but declined to provide additional details.