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Man charged with murder in shooting near Des Moines area bar

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July 13th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Detectives have charged a man with murder in the June 28 shooting death of another man outside a Des Moines area bar. Polk County sheriff’s deputies charged 35-year-old Gordon Jerome Johnson with first-degree murder and intimidation with a dangerous weapon. Johnson, of Des Moines, was held in the Polk County Jail. Johnson was charged in the death of 29-year-old Sir William Beckish, a chef and former restaurant owner.

The shooting happened just before 2 a.m. as a large crowd gathered outside the Karma Bar, just north of the Des Moines. Deputies who had been called by the bar’s staff heard gunshots and then found Beckish had been wounded. He was taken to a hospital but died. Two woman also suffered gunshot wounds but survived.