Fort Madison Police Chief Bruce Niggemeyer says no suspects have been identified in connection with a shooting Monday afternoon.
He says a caller told dispatch, at about 3:10 P.M., that they thought they heard a gunshot near Lincoln Elementary School.
Niggemeyer says officers arrived to find bystanders helping Matthew Griffiths, 25, of Fort Madison, who was lying in an alley about a block from the school.
Griffiths was taken to Fort Madison Community Hospital before eventually being airlifted to Iowa City for treatment.
Concerns have been raised about why Lincoln Elementary was not placed on lockdown after a gunshot was reported.
Niggemeyer says the officers were not able to confirm the shooting until they arrived at the scene. He says by the time the confirmation came, the students were already being released for the day.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office are working with the Fort Madison Police Department in the investigation.
