Four people dead in eastern Iowa state park shooting

Suspect dies of ‘self-inflicted gunshot wound’ after committing ‘triple homicide’, police says

Four people have died in a shooting in Maquoketa Caves State Park in eastern Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) has said that the suspect is one of the deceased, seemingly dying by suicide.

While the threat is thought to have been resolved, the park is still closed down as the investigation goes on.

DCI said in a statement that “at about 6.23am this morning, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and DCI were notified of a triple homicide at the Maquoketa Caves State Park campground”.

“Officers located three deceased bodies. Officers later found that a camper was unaccounted for. Following a search of the area, officers found the deceased body of Anthony Orlando Sherwin, 23, west of the park”, the agency added. “Sherwin appears to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and there is no danger to the public.”

The Quad City Times reported earlier on Friday that an active shooter situation had led to the park being shut down, including other facilities in the area.

A park employee said she was told she could go home after police came to the park, according to the paper. They instituted a lockdown after the report of the shooting at around 8am on Friday.

Parents and their kids at Camp Shalom in the area were told that it was also locked down.

“We were just notified that there is an active shooter at Maquoketa Caves”, a message to parents said, according to The Quad City Times.

“Our top priority is camper safety, and we are following the protocols”, the statement continued. “NO campers are at the Maquoketa Caves. They are all on camp property being transported to Little Bear Park in Maquoketa.”

“Please use your smartphone to locate Little Bear Park in Maquoketa. We will have more information when we get notified”, the message said.

A search was conducted with a plane flying above the park. It’s located east of Cedar Rapids, near the Illinois border.

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the park has “more caves than any state park”.

An active shooter situation has closed down Iowa’s Maquoketa Caves State Park (Screenshot / YouTube / Northeast Iowa RC&D)

“Enormous bluffs tower throughout the park, and a six-mile trail system winds through geologic formations and forests brimming with natural beauty”, the department’s website states. “As one of the state’s earliest state parks, Maquoketa Caves has been a popular destination for picnickers and hikers since the 1860s.”