Police identify man shot and killed by officer in Pleasant Hill
The Pleasant Hill Police Department says officers shot and killed an armed man Saturday afternoon.
According to a news release, officers received calls around 1 p.m. about a man firing a gun in the 400 block of Pleasant Circle. Upon arrival, police found the man there still shooting the gun.
The police department said an officer shot the man, identified as 25-year-old Bradley Van Heeswyk of Des Moines, and took him into custody. Officers "immediately initiated life-saving techniques and requested ambulance services." Van Heeswyk was transported to Mercy Hospital and was later pronounced dead.
The officer who shot Van Heeswyk has been identified by Pleasant Hill Police as Officer Steven Burroughs. He is on paid administrative leave per the police department's policy.
No one else was hurt in the shooting.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Pleasant Hill Police Department continue to investigate.
On Sunday, KCCI spoke to a neighbor about the shooting.
Michael McNeley told KCCI he was at work when his wife called him from their home on Pleasant Circle. She told McNeley she heard what sounded like gunshots. She took their 7-year-old son to the basement as McNeley raced back home.
"She was a little panicked," McNeley said. "It's a lot going on. And nothing like that happens around here. So, I was just glad I could get home and calm everyone down. Everyone was safe."
Police later stopped by their home to make sure everyone was okay. The camera on their front door captured the moment when gunshots were heard around the neighborhood.
McNeley and several other neighbors, who did not want to do an on-camera interview, told KCCI that the neighborhood is usually quiet. Kids would've normally been outside playing in the street. But on Saturday, no kids were outside during this time.
He said this can happen anywhere. He just didn't expect it to happen in his hometown.
"We're in Pleasant Hill, Iowa. The name of our street is Pleasant Circle wasn't a pleasant day yesterday," McNeley said.
McNeley said he is thankful for the tight-knit community and how they responded Saturday.
"We all communicated with each other right away as it was happening after it was happening," he said. "We all got together."
Investigators later confirmed before they arrived, Van Heeswyk had killed two family dogs. Neighbors said the man who was shooting the gun was naked.
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