Fort Dodge is a Webster County city about 95 miles northwest of Des Moines in Iowa. Home to about 25,000 people, homicides are rare, with one reported in 2017, and another in 2016.
But in 2018, there were two homicides, on the very same day. Investigators called this a “rarity,” and they worked diligently to find the suspect and bring justice for the victims’ families.
Fort Dodge, Iowa
When Chad Nickerson learned his two uncles had been fatally shot in Fort Dodge, Iowa, he was sick to his stomach. “This is still surreal,” he told the Des Moines Register. Nickerson, 22, was among at least a dozen family members and friends who gathered Monday afternoon in the parking space and alleyway where the two brothers were killed.
Two Brothers
Marion Rhodes, 37, and El Dominic Rhodes, 34, both from Fort Dodge, were killed in an unspeakable tragedy. Jahleel Price, 29, a friend of the brothers, told the Register, “I probably would’ve been lost without those individuals.” She knew the brothers for 10 years and said that they came to Fort Dodge from Kansas City for a better life. They were known for their love of music and their passion for helping young men.
Hip-Hop Group
Jeremy Mack, who rapped with the brothers in a hip-hop group 6 Gang, couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the men lying dead on the ground. Police Captain Ryan Gruenberg said it was evident that the two suffered severe gunshot wounds and died almost immediately.
Unresponsive
They were found lying unresponsive in an alleyway behind 910 2nd Avenue North in Fort Dodge when officers responded to reports of a shooting at 12:03 a.m. The brothers were pronounced dead at the scene, making the incident the city’s first double homicide in more than a decade.
Double Homicide
Authorities believe the double homicide was an isolated incident and that there was no immediate threat to the general public. Initially, Gruenberg said that any possible suspects likely knew the brothers, whose bodies were taken to the state medical examiner’s office for autopsies. “There is no reason to believe this was a random act by any means,” he said.
Gunfire
Witnesses told police they’d heard an argument in the area before the shooting, although it wasn’t clear if the two were connected. An officer even reported hearing the gunfire from a few blocks away.
Crime Scene
After the horrific incident, investigators with the Fort Dodge police department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation remained at the crime scene for more than nine hours after the shooting. They searched for evidence and interviewed witnesses, although to get answers will take time.
Grieving
In the meantime, family and friends stood by at the scene where the brothers were killed and continue to return there. They have taken pictures and placed their hands on the area where the Rhodes brothers were found. “Two good men are gone,” Mack told the Register while sitting in the parking space where one of the men died and wearing 6 Gang necklaces. “We just want justice for our loved ones.”
Witness
Police spoke with a woman who lives in the 900 block of Third Avenue North, who said she heard the gunshots and saw a white, scrawny man run by her house. He had a cell phone in one hand and a handgun in the other, she told police.
Suspect
Her description led police to locate a central Iowa man, Tanner King, 28, who matched the woman’s description. He was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, according to Fort Dodge police.
Altercation
King told police his DNA might be on shell casings recovered in the alleyway where the brothers were slain, according to a criminal complaint. A witness argued with the accused shooter at the scene about getting money back after he allegedly sold his girlfriend bad drugs. Marion then exchanged words with King before El Dominic arrived.
Escalating
An argument broke out and King shot the Rhodes brothers, causing them to suffer gunshot wounds. Over the next few days following the shooting, community members provided the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations agents leads. Investigators alleged that King fired at least one gunshot at a third victim, a 28-year-old man who was not injured.
Search Warrant
After executing a search warrant at King’s apartment, officers found a box of .40-caliber ammunition with rounds missing. According to the complaint, he verbally objected to officers searching the garage where the box was found. Telling police his DNA could be found, King said the shell casings at his residence may be the same as those recovered at the crime scene.
Alibi
According to court records, authorities believed the King’s alibi wasn’t adding up. He initially told police he went to his mother’s home after 9 p.m. that day before stopping by three other residences. However, one of the people King claimed to have spoken with says he hasn’t seen or spoken to King since 2008. King’s mother also said she hadn’t seen her son in three to four weeks.
Surveillance Cameras
In a later interview, King told agents he was at the shooting and he described seeing the brothers and two other men and leaving after hearing gunfire. Several businesses had video surveillance that captured images of cars passing near the crime scene. One vehicle, in particular, was a white Lincoln, which frequently drove by just before the shooting. Then, it was not seen on camera after the murders.
White Lincoln
It turns out that the Lincoln was associated with the girlfriend of one of King’s relatives and the footage assisted authorities in finding witnesses. King previously has been convicted of a number of crimes in Iowa, including burglary, carrying weapons, domestic abuse assault, and impersonating a public official.
Attempted Escape
While King was an inmate at the Webster County Jail in 2012, he was injured when he fell from a four-story rooftop in a failed escape attempt. He was on a special watch at the time because he had tried to commit suicide once before, according to the Register.
2013 Fire
Then, in 2013, King and another man were accused of burglarizing an electrical business run by the family of Fort Dodge Mayor Matt Bemrich. The men set a fire to the building, destroying most of it. King pleaded guilty to second-degree aiding and abetting arson and two counts of second-degree burglary in that case, according to records.
Bond
King is now being held at the Webster County Jail and at his initial appearance, Magistrate William Thatcher set his bond at more than $2 million – $1 million for each murder charge – and $100,000 for the attempted murder charge.
A Rarity
But a double homicide in the city is pretty rare, according to Gruenberg, who has been with Fort Dodge police for eight years. The last one was in 2005 when Richella Stark, 29, was fatally shot with her two young children before she killed herself in what police called a murder-suicide.
