BOONE, IA (IRN) – The man who killed two women in Ames last week had a history of mental illness. A police report from May 6 says Boone police made a welfare check at Johnathan Whitlatch’s home. The person who asked for the check said they were worried he would harm himself. Police found Whitlatch in his car parked halfway in his driveway. He was reportedly not responding well and told officers he had recently seen a doctor about a medical condition.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A Waterloo man has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge for a March shooting where he shot and killed his second cousin. Dorray Cooper, 58, pleaded guilty this week to Voluntary Manslaughter and Possession of a Firearm for killing 41-year-old LaVance Cooper. The victim was shot in the abdomen and died.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police arrested four armed robbery suspects and recovered two handguns. The victim told police two people with guns robbed him near Drake University on Friday. Officers spotted a car that matched the description, but the suspects took off. The car ended up crashing nearby. Two 17-year-olds, an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old got out and ran. All four were eventually arrested.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The March For Our Lives movement for gun control inspired demonstrations across America on Friday, which included a march through downtown Des Moines to the State Capitol. They chanted “no more silence end gun violence” along the way, and many in attendance wore orange for gun violence awareness. The March For Our Lives movement, which started after the deadly shooting at Parkland, a Florida high school in 2018, is primarily led by teenagers.