116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Police kill cow that had run loose in downtown Des Moines, neighborhoods
DES MOINES, Iowa - Police have shot a cow officers had tried to round up as it rambled across downtown Des Moines.
Police Sgt. Paul Parizek said Wednesday that the cow first seen Monday night was found Tuesday night near a hospital along a busy street. He says officers feared the animal would cause an accident as it moved in and out of traffic hampered by rain and poor visibility. They decided they couldn't wait for a containment crew, so they shot it.
Officers tried to catch it Monday night before it vanished into a forested area along the Des Moines River, north of downtown.
A police Facebook post says: 'We're cops, not cowboys; it got away.”
Parizek says it's unclear who owned the animal and how it got loose downtown.
Cow wandering through Des Moines neighborhood. (Image from Des Moines Police Facebook video)
Daily Newsletters