In a report issued , the Iowa Attorney General’s Office has concluded that the January 2, 2025, fatal shooting of Charquan Hargrove by two Des Moines police officers was legally justified.
The Attorney General’s conclusion was based on a review and investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The investigation found that on January 2, at 5:30 p.m., three Des Moines police officers arrived at Hargrove’s duplex to serve him with felony warrants for his arrest and a no-contact order. When officers knocked on the door, no one answered, but they saw through the front window that a man and woman were in the living room. After a second knock, the woman hesitantly opened the door and refused to let the officers check the residence. The woman insisted that only she and her children were in the home.
The officers had reason to believe Hargrove was with her, so two officers entered anyway. They called for anyone else in the home to make themself known but got no reply. The officers then saw Hargrove dart across a hallway into an open bedroom in front of them. Hargrove’s arms were stiff as if he were holding something. The officers approached the room and shouted for Hargrove to show them his hands. Hargrove, who was partially hidden behind a closet door, yelled at the officers to back up and then fired a gun. Both officers returned fire and backed out of the room in different directions.
The third officer entered the home as sprinklers went off. The officers were unsure whether Hargrove was still a threat, where the kids were, or if the other officers were okay. The woman entered a room where one of the officers had taken cover, and Hargrove lunged in moments after—again firing his gun at the officer. The officer in the room, and his partner who watched Hargrove lunge forward, both opened fire and shot Hargrove dead. The officers assisted the woman in verifying that both her children were safe and unharmed.
Hargrove had a lengthy criminal record, hid from the officers, refused repeated commands to stop, and then opened fire. He was an immediate threat to not only the officers, but the woman and her children, who were hidden in each room Hargrove fired into and out of.
The report is issued under the Attorney General’s independent authority under Iowa Code section 13.12 to investigate or prosecute conduct of law enforcement that results in death.
Original source can be found here.