On 8/16/26, at about 1:45 p.m., Council Bluffs Police Officers responded with members of the Metro
Area Fugitive Task Force to 1201 Madison Avenue to check the location for a wanted subject. James
Leroy Perdue III had active Parole Violation Warrants through the state of Iowa. Additionally, responding
officers received information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that Perdue III was a suspect
in a homicide that occurred in South Dakota on 8/15/26. He was considered armed and dangerous.
About an hour later, it was determined he was inside the home.
Council Bluffs Police Officers, with the assistance from the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, the
Iowa State Patrol, and the U. S. Marshal’s Office, set up a perimeter around the house and asked
neighboring residences to shelter in place. A portion of Madison Avenue was closed in both directions
during this time. Negotiators made several attempts to call Perdue III out of the home, but were
unsuccessful.
Around 7:30 p.m. shots were fired from inside the residence. A short time later, Perdue III was found
deceased inside the residence with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. No officers fired their weapons
during this incident. This incident is still being investigated. The homicide that occurred in South Dakota
is being investigated by the FBI and Tribal Police.
