6 teens charged with drive-by school shooting in U.S. midwest

WASHINGTON, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Six teenagers were arrested and charged with murder in a drive-by shooting outside a high school in the U.S. Midwestern city of Des Moines, police said on Tuesday.

The shooting, which killed a 15-year-old male and critically injured two teen girls, took place on Monday afternoon on the grounds of East High School, about 1.5 miles (about 2.4 km) northeast of the state capital's downtown.

The deceased victim was the intended target, according to the Des Moines Police Department, while the two survivors were not; both remain hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

"While this incident occurred outside of a school, it could have occurred in any one of our neighborhoods," the police statement read.

After the shooting, Des Moines police detectives carried out multiple residential and vehicle search warrants and recovered multiple firearms.

Six Des Moines residents between the age of 14 and 17 have been charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder, the police said.

All the suspects were in custody within several hours of the shooting.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday issued a statement on the Des Moines shooting, saying the "swift arrests cannot obscure the reality that too many families have had to bury a piece of their soul after yet another tragic shooting."

"Every American should be able to visit a house of worship, a grocery store, a night club, or any other place without fear of being gunned down," Biden continued. "That too many cannot is a stain on our national character and an urgent call to action."

As of Tuesday evening, more than 9,200 people in the United States have died or been injured due to gun violence this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.