Man arrested after shooting at busy Ankeny intersection

A man got out of his car at a busy Ankeny intersection and shot a handgun into another car on Thanksgiving night, police said.

Police arrested Osiel Moreno, 28, of Ackley who is suspected of firing the gun at about 9:15 p.m. Thursday at Southeast Delaware Avenue and Southeast Oralabor Road, Ankeny Police Sgt. Scott Crouch said.

Many people witnessed the shooting, he said, as there were several cars stopped at the intersection, which is surrounded by restaurants and stores.

Witnesses told police that a man, later determined to be Moreno, got out of a car and walked up to the driver's side of another car that was stopped at the stoplight.

Moreno reportedly knocked on the driver's window and then shot a handgun into the car, Crouch said. He then got back into his car and both cars drove away, Crouch said.

After witnesses reported the shooting, Ankeny police issued a description of Moreno's vehicle to all area law enforcement agencies, Crouch said.

Polk County Sheriff's deputies soon stopped the vehicle at Northeast 56th Street and Northeast 62nd Avenue, between Ankeny and Altoona, Crouch said.

The deputies detained three people and transported them to the Ankeny Police Department, where detectives questioned them before arresting Moreno, Crouch said.

Moreno was booked into the Polk County Jail on criminal charges of going armed with intent and unauthorized possession of offensive weapons, according to jail records.

Mark Watson, 36, of Ankeny was working at a Casey's gas station by the intersection at the time of the shooting.

"We just heard a bunch of honking and then saw two cars race away and get ... out of dodge," Watson said.

Sam Schminkey, who is a hostess at the nearby Chili's restaurant, said the shooting was highly unusual.

"In these parts you just don't hear about that kind of stuff," Schminkey said. "It's so odd."

Watson also noted that the incident was an anomaly, calling it "a fluke."

Police believe no one was hurt in the shooting, Crouch said, but no victims have come forward, and police have not located the vehicle that was shot.

Ankeny police contacted all area hospitals, asking them to report any gunshot victims for possible connections to this shooting.

The case remains under investigation, Crouch said, and appears to be unrelated to a fatal shooting that occurred hours earlier in Des Moines.