On the evening of June 6, 2022, 21-year-old Elizabeth Arzola was fatally shot near downtown Des Moines. The shooting occurred at about 9:30 p.m. in the 700 block of Robert D. Ray Drive, an area close to the Des Moines River. First responders found Elizabeth with a gunshot injury and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses reported hearing sounds like fireworks that were later determined to be gunshots, and police recovered a handgun at the location. Authorities described the incident as a targeted attack and counted it as the city’s ninth homicide of the year.

On July 1, 2022, the Des Moines Police Department announced arrests in the case: Rashawn Damar Evans, 21, of Altoona, and Lyzaiah Nakyle Treadwell, 21, of Des Moines, were charged with first-degree murder. The motive has not been made public.

Did anyone in the area that night see or hear anything that could help clarify why Elizabeth was targeted?