A youth testified in Polk County court in Des Moines that he had been trying to turn his life around before shooting and killing two classmates at an alternative school in downtown Des Moines in January.
During his trial, Carr Rashad, a 16-year-old, and Dameron Gionni, who are both part of the program Here Right Starts, face charges of first-degree murder and other counts related to the fatal shootings. Walls Preston, the defendant, claimed self-defense in his case.
After a brief discussion, the trial began at 2 p.M. On August 31st, during which the jurors heard closing arguments on Tuesday.
On January 23rd, the day of the shootings, William Holmes, the founder of the program known as Right Starts, brought a gun to the facility on Southwest Fifth Street, fearing that his life would be in danger in the days leading up to the violence, as he told the jury. However, Holmes denied the shootings but has been severely wounded. Shortly after the attack, he was captured.
Furthermore, Will Keeps presents his memoir that chronicles his initial engagement in street crews to his present-day efforts with at-risk youth in Iowa.
As per Daniel Voogt, the prosecutor of Polk County, he was already enrolled in the Youthful Offender Program of the state following an arrest for possessing a firearm as a minor.
Walls testified about that incident, stating that he was consuming alcohol at his father’s burial site, which happened to be a graveyard. On that particular day, he was overwhelmed with sadness and intense emotions. In that moment, he had a firearm in his possession and discharged it into the ground.
He was granted the opportunity to enroll in the two-year program when officers arrived and Walls attempted to escape with the weapon. If he successfully finished it, his criminal record could be cleared and he could evade imprisonment. Some of the conditions included finding employment, refraining from possessing a firearm, and adhering to the legal regulations.
Dameron and Carr, along with other individuals, faced increasing problems. According to him, he had friends who were members of the OTR, but he got involved in a violent conflict with another gang, known as My Only Brothers. He denied the prior police officer’s testimony that he had been involved in a criminal gang.
More: During the testimony, a detective from the DMPD connects the Starts Right Here shooting to a larger gang dispute.
Darren Page, the attorney for Walls, stated that an OMB member struck him while he was employed at Blaze Pizza in downtown Des Moines. Page also mentioned that someone recorded the incident with the intention of humiliating Walls.
Walls mentioned that he later got involved in a physical confrontation with his assailant outside the restaurant and promptly quit his job due to worries about potential retaliation.
Walls expressed, “I didn’t want them to return.” “Since he could have returned with more strength, I sort of lost the desire to continue working after that.”
He said that Carr had fired a shot outside Walmart, and he intended to target him. However, he doesn’t believe that it was a drive-by shooting. He also said that he had been shot in the face in 2021.
Carr, Dameron, and one of their acquaintances engaged in a verbal dispute outside the educational institution with Walls on Jan. 6, which compelled him to begin carrying a firearm when he traveled to Des Moines from his residence in West Des Moines. Nevertheless, Walls only brought the weapon to Starts Right Here subsequent to the occurrence at Blaze Pizza.
He was scared of what they might be planning, and he waited outside the school in their car, as Walls had said.
He mentioned that he would either conceal it in his armpit or tuck it away in his pants. Walls stated that he would endure holding it throughout the day until the moment commences with Starts Right Here. Following that particular day, the firearm began to bring the weapon.
Walls stated, “Following that particular day, I simply had faith, you know, I must safeguard myself. It’s as if, as if they were audacious. They were lingering outside the educational institution. Similar to, all of you, what if I had exited that educational institution on that particular day?”
Additionally, court records indicate that the shooting incident, which led to the tragic loss of a young person’s life, is linked to Starts Right Here.
On January 23rd, Walls testified that he stated he reached Starts Right Here at 9:48 a.M. After oversleeping. He engaged in a round of rock-paper-scissors with the firearm hidden beneath his arm and took part in academic tasks.
He said that Dameron, who was seen riding a bike in circles around the room, singing the lyrics to a song with effect, could be heard saying “Walls” in the security camera video footage from the school court. Additionally, he noticed that Dameron had a gun in his pants.
Walls thought he was being singled out, as Walls stated that the footage displayed an individual gesturing towards him with a finger in the shape of a firearm. Walls gave evidence that he interpreted this action as a potential cue to initiate gunfire, as a companion of Dameron vigorously tapped his chest while Walls leaned towards the front of his seat in the recording.
Walls exclaimed, “I only had two days left before he was about to graduate from Starts Right Here.” “I was planning to go to Walmart on that same day to have a look at Rashad, as he looked just like me. So it was a chance for me to see how he would have turned out.”
He testified that he suffered two injuries, with Carr and Dameron shooting at him 13 times. Before deciding to act, he said prosecutors could have others take a shot at him, and Dameron mounted the tension with his decision.
During cross-examination, Walls affirmed his agreement but clarified that he did not possess a concrete strategy to terminate their lives. The prosecutor, Voogt, inquired whether Walls had ever engaged in a discussion regarding the potential demise of Dameron or Carr before January 23rd.
Voogt inquired about the same query regarding Keeps, the founder of Starts Right Here.
“No,” replied Walls. “I have never had a conversation where I said that I planned to kill Will. I have never had a conversation where I said that I planned to kill Will,” Walls reiterated.
Lawyers discuss the rationale behind shootings
During Tuesday’s closing arguments, Darren Page, the defense attorney, argued that the video from the school does not show any interaction or threats between Dameron or Carr and Walls, indicating that they planned their attack reasonably and interpreted other signals and glances before shooting.
Page stated, “It is not essential that there is real peril.” “He is not required to be fired upon. He does not have to wait until there is a firearm aimed at him. However, he must behave with the genuine and sincere conviction that the danger was present.”
Voogt deemed Walls’ self-defense argument as “absurd.”
On January 23rd, none of these individuals confronted or posed a threat to him in any way. Voogt expressed, “That is absurd, and it lacks evidence and legal support.” The defendant characterizes this defense of justification as “My intuition was exceptionally accurate that day, so I had to neutralize those individuals.”