17-year-old boy in stable condition following shooting at Hiawatha apartment complex

HIAWATHA - A 17-year-old boy is in stable condition, police said, after he was shot several times late Monday at an apartment complex in Hiawatha.

Officers responded just after midnight to 79 E. Clark St., just off Center Point Road in Hiawatha, for reports of a shooting. Police found a juvenile male with gunshot wounds and rushed him to a hospital.

The shooting occurred during a large gathering or party on the apartment complex grounds, according to a news release from the Hiawatha Police Department,

Hiawatha Police Chief Dennis Marks said the complex consists of four buildings, and the shooting occurred near the 'third building in from Center Point Road.”

'The gunfire originated at the north side of the complex in a back parking lot,” he said.

Police said the 17-year-old was shot while outside, but managed to get back inside after he was hit.

Marks said the apartment building and a nearby bank sustained damage from gunfire.

The chief said multiple shell casings were recovered and estimated up to a dozen shots were fired. He said officers collected surveillance footage from the area that investigators hope will reveal a related vehicle or the shooter.

Marks said no suspects have yet been identified, and he does not think the shooting was random. Marks added he could not say whether the victim was targeted.

'We were hoping for more cooperation than we're getting,” the chief said.

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