A suspect was captured within minutes as nearby school facilities restricted access and three postal employees were taken for medical care.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Police officers reached Des Moines’ main post office within minutes of reports of gunfire Thursday and quickly arrested a postal employee accused in a workplace shooting that injured three co-workers and triggered temporary security measures at nearby schools.
Emergency calls began coming from inside the U.S. Postal Service facility at about 9:10 a.m. Nov. 5, according to Des Moines police. Officers arrived roughly three minutes later. Two female employees had been shot, while a male employee was injured as he tried to escape. Police said the three victims were stable and their injuries were not considered life-threatening.
The gunfire occurred on the second floor of the four-story postal processing and distribution center at 1165 Second Ave., north of downtown Des Moines. Police said that portion of the building is limited to employees and is not open to customers. Authorities said everyone directly involved in the shooting worked at the facility.
Police said the suspected shooter left the building after the gunfire. Officers found 39-year-old Jennifer Christine Pledger of West Des Moines nearby along a bike path and took her into custody without resistance at about 9:21 a.m. The arrest came approximately 11 minutes after the first reports of shots being fired.
The rapid arrest allowed authorities to begin lifting precautions imposed around the surrounding area. Des Moines Public Schools said a nearby elementary school, the district’s welcome center and its nutrition center went into secure status after police notified school officials of the shooting at about 9:20 a.m. No one was permitted to enter or leave those facilities during the restriction.
The school district said the security measure ended after police notified officials at about 10 a.m. that a suspect was in custody. Authorities have not reported that any students or school employees were physically harmed in connection with the shooting.
The post office sits across from a major hospital and near busy streets north of the city’s downtown core. The facility functions as a regional mail-processing center while also providing a public walk-in service counter. Police said the shooting itself was confined to an employee-only portion of the building.
Witnesses told investigators they heard about 10 to 12 shots, police said. Authorities identified the people shot as women ages 45 and 53. A 55-year-old man was injured in a fall while trying to escape. Investigators recovered a 9 mm handgun as part of the case.
Pledger has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of willful injury causing serious injury and intimidation with a dangerous weapon. Those charges are accusations, and she is presumed innocent unless proved guilty. Police have not publicly identified a motive or released the victims’ names.
The investigation involves Des Moines police and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which has federal law enforcement responsibility for crimes affecting postal employees and facilities. Investigators continued gathering witness accounts and other evidence after the scene was secured.
Police planned to release additional information Friday as the investigation continued. The victims were expected to recover based on the latest information released by authorities, while the circumstances leading to the workplace shooting remained under investigation.
Author note: Last updated Nov. 6, 2026.