By GRANT SCHULTE, JARED STRONG and JASON PULLIAM
gschulte@dmreg.com
A Des Moines man shot and killed his wife during an argument Monday while their three young children were nearby, police said.
Randi Gilmore, 23, was found dead from a gunshot wound in the basement of her home, 2308 E. Eighth St., when police responded to a 911 call at about 3:40 p.m.
Her husband, Donte Marcell Gilmore, 25, waited for police to arrive in the front yard of the home, Des Moines police Sgt. Chris Scott said. Gilmore was taken into custody and later charged with first-degree murder. Scott said he did not know who called 911.
The Gilmores' three children, all younger than age 6, were home at the time of the shooting and are now staying with relatives, Scott said. He was not sure where they were in the home when the shooting occurred.
Police said the shooting — the first homicide in Des Moines this year — occurred during a domestic dispute. Scott said that police had not been called to the house in the past year and that he didn't know about earlier than that.
The couple rented the house on East Eighth Street. Dean Poortinga, who owns the house, said the family had lived there "just short of two years."
"I've never had any issues with them," he said.
Neighbors along East Eighth Street said they did not know the family well.
"They didn't socialize with anyone," said Monica Tindrell, who lives next door.
Tindrell said that Randi Gilmore would say hello when she ran into her, but that Donte Gilmore did not speak to her.
Mark Nagel, who lives on the other side of the street, said he arrived home about 3:45 p.m. and saw the three children, who were unhurt. He said the death scared him.
"I've lived here 20 years and it's always been real quiet," Nagel said.
Donte Gilmore has no criminal record, according to online court records, but Randi Gilmore was charged with domestic abuse in 2005 in Woodbury County. A judge ordered Randi Gilmore to undergo a mental health evaluation. The victim of the crime asked the judge to immediately halt a no-contact order that is standard procedure for domestic assault cases. It was not clear Monday who the victim was. Gilmore paid a $100 fine.
Monday's shooting was the second murder in Polk County this year, according to Des Moines Register records. The first was a murder-suicide in Altoona in January. Investigators believe Mark Wharff, 51, shot his wife, Laura Wharff, 51, in the head and then shot himself in the head.
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