A man suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach Wednesday night at Lizard Creek Ranch west of Fort Dodge, prompting Webster County Sheriff's deputies to perform life-saving measures at the scene before he was rushed to a hospital. A male suspect found on the property matching the shooter's description was detained for questioning, and authorities say the shooting was an isolated incident with no continuing threat to the community.
Deputies Respond to Reports of a Gunshot Wound
According to 1430 KASI, emergency callers from the ranch reported that the victim had been shot in the stomach, and responding deputies administered emergency care at the scene before the man was transported by ambulance. The Webster County Sheriff's Department was notified of the shooting at 1762 Johnson Avenue on October 7, according to KQRadio, which reported that the injured individual was taken to UnityPoint Trinity Regional Medical Center. The station noted that authorities had not released the person's condition or the names of anyone involved as of its report.
Early reporting indicated only that a suspect may have been on the scene when initial calls reached the sheriff's office, per the same KQRadio account. That detail has since been clarified: 1430 KASI's follow-up reporting confirmed that the Iowa State Patrol and Fort Dodge Police assisted in the search and located a male suspect on the property who matched the shooter's description; the man was detained, and investigators determined the incident posed no broader danger to the public.
Second Patient Also Taken From the Scene
A second ambulance was dispatched to Lizard Creek Ranch Wednesday night to transport a second patient who had not sustained a gunshot wound, according to the Messenger News. That report also detailed the scale of the emergency response, noting that volunteer firefighters from the nearby town of Barnum assisted Webster County deputies alongside Fort Dodge police, the Iowa State Patrol, and Fort Dodge Fire Department ambulance crews. KQRadio's initial report similarly listed the Fort Dodge Fire Department, Fort Dodge Police Department, and Iowa State Patrol as agencies assisting with the investigation.
A Former Boys Ranch Turned Event Venue
The property has a long and layered history in Webster County. KQRadio noted that Lizard Creek Ranch was formerly known as Rabiner's Boys Ranch and Treatment Center, a site that, per the Messenger News, was originally established in 1961 as the Jerry Rabiner Memorial Boys Ranch by the Iowa State Police Association in memory of a local youth killed in a 1953 auto accident. The 33-acre property operated as a residential youth treatment center for decades before financial difficulties forced its closure.
KLH Properties purchased the property in summer 2018, the Messenger News reported. Today the site is leased in part to the Manson Northwest Webster Community School District, which houses the North Central Consortium School there, an alternative educational program serving roughly 50 students from two dozen area school districts, according to the same outlet's earlier coverage.
A County Already Grappling With Violent Crime
The shooting lands in a county that has faced persistent public safety challenges. Webster County ranked third among Iowa's 99 counties in crime per capita, with 79.09 offenses per 1,000 residents, according to the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, which attributes the figures in part to local youth access to firearms and gang activity.
It remains unclear whether formal charges will be filed against the detained suspect, or whether the shooting involved event guests, school affiliates, or trespassers on the property.
