Iowa Department of Public Safety
Eugene T. Meyer, Commissioner
215 East 7th Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
Telephone Number: (515) 725-6182
Facsimile Number: (515) 725-6195

911 TAPES OF PARKERSBURG
SHOOTING RELEASED

Des Moines, IOWA --- Today, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) released five 911 tapes recorded on June 24, 2009. The 911 calls were in response to the shooting of Ed Thomas at the Parkersburg High School weight room. Around 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday, June 24, 2009, Mark Becker allegedly walked into the Parkersburg High School weight room and shot Thomas multiple times. Ed Thomas, 58, died a short time later at a Waterloo hospital. Mark Becker, 24, is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Ed Thomas.

There were 11 total 911 calls identified. In some cases, the calls came in so rapidly, the system did not have time to reset and some of the calls ran together. The other six 911 tapes have information that is part of the ongoing criminal investigation and therefore will not be released at this time. Two of the five tapes are not clear, but are being released because they were on the Butler County 911 emergency response system.

The 911 calls are posted below in no particular order:

Also being released upon request, are the in-car video recordings from three Iowa State Troopers’ vehicles recorded on Saturday, June 20, 2009, when Mark Becker led authorities on a high speed chase that began in Cedar Falls. The videos reflect that no State Troopers were involved in Becker pursuit and simply assisted the local authorities at its conclusion.

It should be noted a criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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