Timothy Durand Lee III, a 17-year-old boy from Des Moines, Iowa, died after a Saturday afternoon shooting on April 25, 2026, in the city’s Highland Park neighborhood. Police were called just before 3:30 p.m. to the 3500 block of East 7th Street after a 911 caller reported that someone was down in a yard. When officers arrived, they found Timothy suffering from a gunshot wound. They began giving him first aid until Des Moines Fire Department medics arrived and took over his care.
He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, but he later died from his injuries that evening.
Investigators said the shooting unfolded after 20-year-old Jose Luis Rodriguez drove to the area, got out of his vehicle, and confronted Timothy while armed with a handgun. Police described the moments before the shooting as an argument between Rodriguez and Timothy. According to investigators, Rodriguez then shot Timothy. After being hit and falling to the ground, Timothy reportedly pulled out a handgun of his own and fired multiple rounds at Rodriguez, but none of those shots struck him. Rodriguez fled the scene, and police later recovered a handgun there.
The investigation quickly turned toward identifying the vehicle Rodriguez allegedly used to arrive at and leave the scene. Detectives relied on witness statements, video evidence, and license plate reader data to connect Rodriguez to the vehicle. Police later found that vehicle parked nearby with its license plates removed and a bullet hole in it. The vehicle was impounded as part of the investigation.
Further leads, including additional video evidence, took police to a residence in Des Moines’ River Bend neighborhood, where Rodriguez was believed to be staying. Officers arrested him around 2 a.m. Sunday, April 26, just hours after Timothy died. Rodriguez was charged with first-degree murder in Timothy’s killing and was held at the Polk County Jail. One report stated that he was being held on a $1 million cash-only bond and that a preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 7, 2026.
Authorities initially reported Timothy’s age as 16, but later corrected that information, saying investigators had first been given an incorrect date of birth. Des Moines police identified him publicly as Timothy Durand Lee III and confirmed that he was 17. His death was counted as Des Moines’ 11th homicide of 2026, marking another deadly episode in the city’s year of violence.
