Four Dead After Shooting at Iowa State Park

A gunman fatally shot three people before killing himself at the Maquoketa Caves State Park campground in Maquoketa, Iowa Friday morning.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety said in a statement that the Jackson County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) were alerted about a triple killing at the park.

According to the statement, police responded to the scene around 6:20 a.m. local time where officers found three dead bodies, adding that one camper who was supposed to be at the site was missing.

The camper, who police believed to be the shooter, was later found dead west of the park after officers searched the area. He was identified as 23-year-old Anthony Orlando Sherwin of Nebraska.

"Sherwin appears to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and there is no danger to the public," the public safety department said, adding that the park is now an active crime scene and is closed until further notice. The campground was evacuated, and additionally, nearby Camp Shalom, a camp designed to inspire people to live peacefully, was also evacuated, according to local news source Wyoming News Now.

No details were revealed about the motive behind the shooting or whether the gunman knew the three victims.

Newsweek has reached out to the Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office for comment and additional information.

Recently, there have been other shootings at parks in other states.

A gunman opened fire at Maicach Park in the Chicago suburb of South Holland, Illinois, where a family reunion was being held on Saturday night. The shooting happened after the gunman allegedly argued with his current girlfriend and an ex-girlfriend at the party, which had around 50 people in attendance.

Andriana Foster, who was at the incident and witnessed the shooting, said that the shooter fired off at least 10 shots in "rapid fire" at one point.

An off-duty police officer who was at the reunion began to return fire and was able to stop the shooter. No one was injured during this incident except the shooter, who has not been identified. He later died at a hospital where he was receiving treatment for his injuries.

A police officer was shot Wednesday night during a gunfire exchange with a suspect at a campground in Anchorage's Centennial Park in Alaska. The Anchorage Police Department said that the man was suspected of eluding police earlier.

"At some point during the encounter, the suspect produced a handgun and gunfire was exchanged," the police added.

Police said that one officer was seriously injured during the exchange, while another was unharmed. Meanwhile, the suspect was shot multiple times and was later transferred to the hospital along with the police officer. Both of them were expected to survive their injuries.

Update 7/22/22 2:22 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include additional information.