On Friday, July 22, 2022, a family of three camping in an Iowa State Park was shot and killed.
Tyler Schmidt, who was 42, his wife Sarah Schmidt, also 42, and their daughter Lula, who was 6, were all killed. Arlo Schmidt, who was nine years old, was the only one who survived. The suspected gunman, Anthony Sherwin, also reportedly died from gunshot wounds he “inflicted on himself”.
Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground is a popular camping spot. It is in the eastern part of Iowa. The dead family’s bodies were found in their tent, according to police.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said at 6:30 a.m. they went to a campground where someone had been shot. Assistant Superintendent Mitch Mortvedt confirmed that the three people killed were related, but he could not say why they were killed.
Although police believe the threat is no longer present, the park was still closed on Friday pending further investigations.
“He was known to be armed.” A triple homicide draws attention to the fact that Iowa has no gun laws.
Maquoketa Caves State Park, a popular campground in southern Iowa, was the latest location to be affected by the rise in gun violence in the United States. A child and both of her parents were shot dead early Friday morning. The then 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin later killed himself.
For safety reasons, the park and a nearby summer camp for children had to be evacuated. Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the division, said the following about the Nebraska shooter:
“People knew he had guns. Of course, that also made us aware.”
Iowa has almost no rules about guns, and it’s legal to carry a gun anywhere. Police have not said whether Sherwin was licensed to carry a gun.
Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa signed House Bill 756 into law in April 2021 and went into effect in July of the same year. With the new law, you no longer need a permit to buy a handgun or carry a concealed weapon in the state. American Brothers in Arms owner Chase Cejka had said:
“It restores a constitutional right without people having to pay for a permit. So even to buy a gun in the state of Iowa, you now need a permit. We never thought that was right. You should be able to walk in, check your background and walk away with that gun the same day.
The Maquoketa Caves shooting is the third public shooting in the state since 2022. This year, a 16-year-old boy was shot dead in front of Des Moines East High School. In June, a person with a gun killed two college students outside of Cornerstone Church in Ames.