On the evening of December 10, 2022, a 35-year-old male Des Moines resident, Tyrone Livon Hutchins, was fatally shot outside a bar near Drake University. The incident occurred at approximately 5:46 p.m. when Des Moines Police Department patrol officers and rescue personnel responded to a report of a shooting at 2314 University Avenue, the location of Rico's bar. Upon arrival, first responders discovered Hutchins on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound.
Despite immediate life-saving efforts by police and medics, and continued intervention at a local hospital, he succumbed to his injuries. A second individual, a 29-year-old female, also sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was transported to a local hospital by a private vehicle.
The investigation into Hutchins' death, which marked the city's 17th homicide of 2022, continued for more than a year before arrests were made. Des Moines Police Department detectives processed the extensive crime scene, which spanned the interior of the bar to the exterior sidewalk, and recovered two firearms. The investigation eventually led them to two brothers who were living in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In February 2024, Des Moines Police announced that charges had been filed against 35-year-old James Mikale Wiggins and his 38-year-old brother, Marcell Navell Wiggins. Evidence indicated that the brothers, both armed with handguns, had gone to Rico's bar to confront Hutchins. A confrontation initiated by Marcell and a third person occurred inside the bar. As Hutchins attempted to leave the establishment, James Wiggins shot and killed him. With the assistance of the United States Marshals Service, both brothers were taken into custody in Las Vegas.
James Wiggins was charged with first-degree murder, while Marcell Wiggins faced charges of going armed with intent and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Following their apprehension, Marcell Wiggins was returned to Des Moines in January 2024 and was later released from the Polk County Jail. James Wiggins was extradited to Des Moines to face trial. Prosecutors argued that the attack was planned after the suspects saw social media posts indicating Hutchins was at the bar. Although Wiggins claimed self-defense, a Polk County jury convicted him of second-degree murder. His sentencing was scheduled for October 14. Court documents later indicated that a warrant was issued for Marcell Wiggins' arrest after he failed to appear for a plea hearing.
