Preston M. Walls, 18, of Des Moines, Iowa, United States is a known gang member. He had to wear a global positioning system (GPS) ankle monitor as part of a pretrial release condition from a weapons charge.

On January 23, 2023, Walls removed the GPS ankle monitor and went to the school of Starts Right Here, an alternative educational program for at-risk youth in Des Moines. The program’s founder William Holmes, 49, is a rapper who goes by the stage name Will Keeps.

Walls was carrying a 9 mm handgun that had an extended ammunition magazine. He walked into a common area of Starts Right Here and confronted two male students, 18 and 16.

Holmes tried to escort Walls from the area but the latter pulled away. Sixteen minutes after removing the monitor, Walls shot the two students.

Holmes was standing nearby and was shot. He was hospitalized in serious condition.

Both students died in the hospital. They were members of a gang that is in conflict with the gang Walls is a member of.

At 12:53 p.m. police and fire personnel responded to a report of the shooting. Before they arrived, Walls left the scene.

Later that day, Walls was located and arrested without incident. He was charged with one count of attempted murder, one count of criminal gang participation and two counts of first-degree murder.