Cade Mortiz Obituary, Death – The Des Moines Police Department has released information regarding the officers involved in a shooting incident that resulted in the death of a suspect and injuries to two officers early Monday morning on the east side of Des Moines.
Senior Officer Cade Mortiz, who has served with the Des Moines Police Department for two years, was shot in the head and is currently hospitalized. According to a Friday statement from police spokesperson Sgt. Paul Parizek, Mortiz is in critical but stable condition.
The suspect, identified as 37-year-old Joshua Dean Green from Carlisle, was shot and killed by police during the incident. A 47-year-old woman who was a passenger in Green’s vehicle at the time was not injured and has not faced any criminal charges.
The other officer injured during the incident, identified as Jacob Boekhoff, also a two-year veteran, was shot in the arm but was released from the hospital on Tuesday and is now recovering at home. Two additional officers, Capt. Chad Steffen, a 20-year veteran of the department, and Senior Officer Frankie Contreras, who has been with the department since June, are on administrative assignment as a standard protocol following the incident.
The confrontation began around 1:40 a.m. Monday when officers attempted to pull over Green’s vehicle near the 2500 block of Easton Boulevard due to an equipment violation. After stopping briefly in a parking lot, Green sped away from the officers.
Approximately 20 seconds later, Green crashed his 2005 Ford Focus at the intersection of East 24th Street and Easton Boulevard. Police managed to block his vehicle and instructed him to turn off the engine and exit the car. However, when officers tried to arrest him, Green reportedly struggled violently and drew a handgun, firing at the officers. Mortiz did not have the chance to return fire before he was shot.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, along with the Des Moines Police Department, is conducting an investigation into the shooting, and further details will be shared as they become available.
Green had a lengthy criminal history, with seven charges filed against him over a span of 13 months in three separate cases. According to court records, his first case involved operating two vehicles without the owner’s consent while his license was barred in February 2020. Subsequently, in April 2020, he faced charges of first-degree harassment and witness tampering for sharing partially nude photos of a victim associated with his first case. In April 2021, Green was again charged with witness tampering involving the same individual.
The investigation continues as the police department and state authorities seek to gather more information about the events leading up to the shooting, aiming to provide clarity and accountability in this critical incident.