Iowa state police arrested a suspect accused of two homicides after he barricaded himself inside an Iowa church on Sunday, officials say.
Gage Walter, 27, of Omaha, Nebraska, was arrested due to his alleged involvement in a double homicide in Nebraska after he led the Iowa State Patrol on a car chase that ended at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Winterset, Iowa, where he surrendered after hours of negotiations, police said.
Crisis negotiators were present to help with conversations between Walter and the officers, a tweet from the Iowa State Patrol stated.
ISP Crisis Negotiators peacefully negotiated the surrender of a barricaded suspect in Winterset today.
Trps Cole, Colburn, & Sgt Underwood were assisted by 2 West Des Moines Police Negotiators during a standoff that began around 8:30am. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/9VtxLl2Ill
— Iowa State Patrol (@iowastatepatrol) August 15, 2022
When attempting to conduct a traffic stop at approximately 7:40 a.m., officers located Walter in a stolen vehicle, at which point he drove off and led them from West Des Moines to Winterset, officials said. Walter’s car matched the stolen vehicle listed in an Omaha Police Department press release related to the double homicide, which prompted Iowa police to pull him over, WHO News reported.
Police responded to a call at 3 p.m. on Saturday to find Marceline Teeters, 93, and Linda Walter, 70, dead in their home, Omaha police said. Authorities found their deaths suspicious, but they provided no further details.
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Walter faces charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and fleeing from police, and he may be charged with burglary for entering the church, West Des Moines Police Sgt. Jason Heintz told the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
Omaha police will come to Iowa to investigate, Heintz said.
