In the early morning hours of Thursday, March 19, 2026, a 911 call reported a shooting in the East Village of Des Moines. Responding officers found 42-year-old William Lee St. Peter, Jr. in a parking lot in the 1300 block of Des Moines Street; he was deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. The caller told dispatchers the victim was beyond help, which first responders confirmed at the scene.

Police used nearby surveillance footage to identify a suspect vehicle. An officer later saw that vehicle parked outside the Des Moines police station just after 3 a.m., about an hour after the 911 call. Two people were detained and a handgun was recovered. Investigators say the shooting arose from a dispute over a potential drug transaction and that William Lee St. Peter, Jr. was shot in the head.

Eighteen-year-old Juan Carlos Hernandez-Sarceno was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and booked into Polk County Jail; police say there is no ongoing danger to the public. Does anyone have information about the events in the East Village that night or knew William Lee St. Peter, Jr.?