JOHNSTON, Iowa (WHO) — Police have arrested a suspect in a shooting that seriously injured a man at a metro hotel Thursday night.
Willard Keith Rathjen III, 38, is being held in the Polk County Jail on charges of attempted murder, willful injury, and going armed with intent in connection with the shooting at the Hilton Garden Inn on the Urbandale and Johnston city boundaries.
Officers from the Urbandale Police Department were called to the hotel at 8600 Northpark Drive around 9:14 p.m. on a report of gunshots heard in the building, according to a news release from UPD. When police arrived, they found a 56-year-old man on the 6th floor suffering from a single gunshot wound. Officers provided medical treatment until the victim could be transported to the hospital. He was in serious condition.
Witnesses were able to give police a description of what the suspect was wearing and the direction in which he fled the scene. Law enforcement searched the area extensively and Rathjen was located around 10:41 p.m. and taken into custody.
UPD said they recovered a firearm near the scene.
Police have not released a motive for the shooting.