IOWA CITY, Iowa — Five people were injured when gunfire broke out during a large brawl in Iowa City’s entertainment area near the University of Iowa campus in the early hours of Sunday morning, law enforcement and university officials confirmed.
Iowa City police reported that several victims were rushed to area hospitals with gunshot injuries.
Authorities said one victim remains in critical condition, while the other four are listed in stable condition.
As of Sunday morning, no suspects have been taken into custody, campus officials announced in an alert. Law enforcement has released photographs showing groups of individuals they consider persons of interest in the case.
Police explained that officers were already heading to the downtown area in response to calls about a major disturbance near the pedestrian mall, which houses numerous bars and restaurants, when gunshots rang out.
Social media footage captured several altercations erupting outside a bar’s outdoor seating area, followed by dozens of panicked people fleeing the scene.
University President Barbara Wilson confirmed that three of the wounded were students and announced that counseling services would be made available to the campus community.
“While we await additional information, I am thinking about these students and their families, friends, and all the people who care about them. I am holding them close in my thoughts, along with everyone in our community who is hurting or feeling shaken right now,” Wilson said in a statement.
The university enrolls approximately 31,000 students.
“This senseless act of violence has devastated the university community and our state,” said Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who offered state assistance with the investigation.
Campus officials sent multiple emergency notifications warning students to avoid the downtown area. “While the investigation is in its early stages, there are no indications any university students were the intended victims,” one alert said.
