David Shumpert
Dave L. Shumpert
27 YOA
400 blk. E. Locust Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1999-46557
December 2, 1999
Shortly after 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 2, 1999, Des Moines Police found 27-year-old David Shumpert lying in the 400 block of East Locust Street. He was mortally wounded by a single shot to the chest.
Investigators learned that Shumpert was driving a Pontiac registered to someone else that collided with a Cadillac near the crime scene that night. It was not known if the crash occurred before or after the shooting.
Because some witnesses reported that Shumpert argued with another man inside the Hotspot Nightclub shortly before the shooting, police rounded up 20 patrons for questioning at headquarters.
Hotspot had seen a number of fights in the recent past, some believed to be gang-related.
Courtesy photo Google Street ViewChico Oakley, Hotspot Manager, told the Des Moines Register that Shumpert was a regular patron of the bar who never caused any problems. He insisted the victim was not there the night of his murder.
Shumpert’s family said they believed he was involved in a dispute with someone, but that it was not linked to gangs because he avoided gangs and the violence that accompanies them.
His father, David Shumpert, Jr., told the Register, “I pray to God that whoever did this will be found . . . . He was a good man. I never worried much about him. We’re not taking this good at all. We want to know what happened.”
The family was puzzled by the death and by the many conflicting accounts of what happened.
David L. Shumpert was born September 25, 1972. At the time of his death, he lived at 1447 E. 19th Street in Des Moines.
He was survived by his stepmother and father, April and David Shumpert, Jr., as well as by seven siblings.
Information needed
Questions and comments about the unsolved 1999 murder of David L. Shumpert should be directed to the Des Moines Police Department at 515-283-4864 or Iowa Cold Cases through the Contact form.
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