Police say gunman killed 3 at Iowa state park; shooter also dead

MAQUOKETA, Iowa — A Cedar Falls couple and their 6-year-old daughter have been fatally shot whereas tenting at an Iowa state park in an apparently random assault by a person from Nebraska, who later turned the gun on himself.

The couple leaves behind a 9-year-old son, in response to the Cedar Falls mayor. It was not instantly clear Saturday if the boy was together with his household at the time of the assault at the Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety recognized the victims as Tyler Schmidt, 42; his 42-year-old spouse, Sarah Schmidt; and their 6-year-old daughter, Lulu Schmidt. Their our bodies have been discovered of their tent early Friday at the campground, about 180 miles (290 kilometers) east of Des Moines.

Authorities mentioned the suspected gunman, 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin, was discovered dead in a wooded space of the park with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Department of Public Safety’s division of legal investigation, informed The Associated Press on Saturday that the motive for the assault was nonetheless unknown.

“We don’t know what led up to this, what precipitated it,” he mentioned, including that to this point, “the investigation has not revealed any early interaction between the Schmidt family and him.”

Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green, who mentioned he’s a neighbor of the Schmidts, posted on Facebook on Friday that the couple’s 9-year-old son, Arlo, “survived the attack, and is safe.” The submit didn’t say whether or not Arlo was within the tent or at the campsite when the shootings occurred, and Green informed the AP he didn’t have these particulars. Authorities wouldn’t instantly verify the information within the mayor’s submit or make any remark concerning the boy.

Sarah Schmidt labored at the Cedar Falls Public Library, which was closed Saturday after news of her dying.

“Like many of you just hearing the news, I’m devastated,” Green wrote on Facebook. “I knew Sarah properly, and he or she & her household have been common walkers right here within the Sartori Park neighborhood. I used to be working together with her this week on a public library tech presentation for 7/26.

“Their 9 year old son Arlo survived the attack, and is safe,” Green wrote. “I’ve notified neighbors, and for those of you just learning about this through this post, I am so sorry.” He mentioned he would share upcoming particulars about providers and memorials.

By Saturday afternoon, greater than $40,000 had flowed right into a GoFundMe web page created for Arlo. The web page, which says it was organized by a cousin, Beth Shapiro, mentioned: “Arlo is a strong boy, surrounded by family and friends who are supporting him as best we can.” The web page says the fund will assist Arlo now, and assist fund his future schooling.

The killings prompted the evacuation of the park and campground, together with a youngsters’s summer season camp. After the evacuations, Sherwin was the one individual unaccounted for, Mortvedt mentioned.

He mentioned that throughout the course of the investigation, authorities realized Sherwin was armed and “that of course heightened our awareness.” Iowa permits individuals with permits to hold firearms nearly anyplace within the state. Officials didn’t say if Sherwin had a allow and offered no information concerning the firearm that was used to kill the Schmidts.

The Des Moines Register reported that Sherwin got here from La Vista, Nebraska. La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten informed the newspaper that Sherwin had lived in an condo advanced together with his dad and mom and that he had no historical past of legal conduct.

Autopsies on Sherwin and the victims have been scheduled to be carried out over the weekend, Mortvedt mentioned, and extra information would probably be launched based mostly on these findings.

The state park and campground have been closed till additional discover. The Department of Natural Resources mentioned in an e-mail to the AP that campers with reservations by means of Thursday got refunds. All of the campers who have been at the park however not related to the capturing have been in a position to retrieve their belongings, the DNR mentioned.