The shooting at Cornerstone Church was the result of a “domestic situation” between the shooter, a 33-year-old man from Boone, and one of the women, Story County Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald told a news conference on Friday.
Both women, ages 22 and 21, were students at nearby Iowa State University, he said.
A third woman escaped unharmed, he said, adding that the shooter used a 9mm pistol.
“This is a very tragic event for our community, but I think for the whole country, as we are experiencing violent incidents across the country and it seems to be only increasing,” said Captain Nicholas Lenny of the Story County Sheriff’s Office.
The shooting happened the night President Joe Biden addressed the nation on the need for stricter gun laws. The gun massacres shook the country and sparked new discussions on how to prevent them. The latest incident was just a day earlier, when a man bought an AR-15 rifle and attacked a hospital in Oklahoma, killing four people and then himself.
In Iowa, authorities received a signal for gunfire in the parking lot at 6:51 p.m., they said.
The shooter arrived in a pickup truck “and the chaos began,” Fitzgerald said.
“He took action immediately when he got there,” he said. “He was there with a specific goal that he achieved.”
The shooter was arrested on May 31 on charges of third-degree harassment and posing as a civil servant, all related to his recent separation from one of the victims, Fitzgerald said. He announced bail, Fitzgerald said, and was due to return to court on June 10.
The shooting took place on the first summer evening of a youth Bible study program, Fitzgerald said. About 80 high school and college students were in the church auditorium.
The shooter made no visible effort to enter the church, Fitzgerald said.
It is a “deliberate act of violence,” he said. The shooter approached the women as they walked toward the church, fired “several rounds” and both were killed “within seconds.”
The shooter appears to have acted alone, he said.
Authorities found an AR-15 rifle at the shooter’s home with ammunition that “did not play a role in the incident,” Fitzgerald said. Another 9 mm of ammunition was found in the shooter’s car, which he bought an hour before the shooting.
“Our hearts are broken for all involved and we pray for all affected,” Pastor Mike Vance said in a statement. “The staff of our ministry is available to support all those affected and we will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities until they have completed their full investigation.
Gov. Kim Reynolds posted a statement on Facebook.
“The act of senseless violence tonight took the lives of two innocent victims in their place of worship,” she said. “We ask Iowans to pray for the victims and their families, members of Cornerstone Church and the entire Ames community.”
Ames is about 30 miles north of Des Moines.
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