Armed woman shoots another woman in leg in self-defense after being violently assaulted in Iowa grocery store, police say

Police in Des Moines, Iowa, said a woman violently assaulted another woman in a Hy-Vee grocery store Sunday morning — but the victim was armed and shot her attacker in the leg in self-defense, KCCI-TV reported.

What are the details?

Kapri Lashawn Francis, 30, of Des Moines, violently assaulted another woman without provocation, police told the station, adding that the victim — who lawfully possessed a handgun — fired once in self-defense and hit Francis in the leg.

A male customer was shot in the foot when the bullet ricocheted, KCCI added.

Police said after interviewing witnesses and examining evidence — including in-store surveillance footage — they learned the shooter acted in self-defense after being violently assaulted, the station said.

Francis was arrested and charged with assault causing injury after her release from a hospital, KCCI reported, adding that she will be booked into the Polk County Jail.

Kapri Lashawn FrancisImage source: Polk County Inmates website

TheBlaze located Francis' booking record on the Polk County Inmates website Monday afternoon under the search option for inmates released during the previous 24 hours. No bail amount was listed.

Anything else?

Police told the station they want to emphasize that the shooting — which took place around 10 a.m. at the store located at East 26th Street and East Euclid Avenue — was not an active shooter situation. Instead, KCCI said, it was a targeted incident in a public space.

“This was something spontaneous that unfortunately happened in that grocery store where a lot of people were grocery shopping this morning,” Sgt. Paul Parizek of the Des Moines Police Department told the station.

Given recent mass killings, authorities said they are on high alert, KCCI reported.

“We’ve certainly got a high level of awareness and preparedness for these things. And when we hear something like this happen, we treat it like it’s the real deal. And I think you saw that response up there today," Parizek added to the station. "There was a heavy police presence, responding with the thought that we need to save people."

The owner of a business next to the Hy-Vee told KCCI it was a scary situation.

“One of the employees was down here crying, and she ran to me. And she was like, 'There was a shooting,' and I immediately grabbed her because she’s maybe 17 years old,” Michelle Boyum of Sun Seekers Tanning recalled to the station. “A lot of [my employees] said that they witnessed it. A couple of them said they had seen the gunshot go off. They had seen the person where they got shot at. They were shaken so bad, and all I could do was be there and hold them."

Police: Shooter fired in self-defense after violent assault at grocery storeyoutu.be