Des Moines Shooter Sentenced to 87 Months in Federal Prison for Firearm Charge

DES MOINES, Iowa - A Des Moines man was sentenced on February 6, 2026, to 87 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Bryan Keith Rainey, Jr., 20, and two co-conspirators fired at least 36 rounds of ammunition at a Des Moines residence occupied by two children and their mother on December 16, 2024. At least 11 rounds hit the house. No one was injured.

Three days later, officers located Rainey in a parking lot and attempted to arrest him. Rainey ran from the police. Once captured, law enforcement located a loaded AR-15 style pistol in Rainey's pants, which ballistically matched casings from the shooting scene. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Rainey's house that same day and found ammunition and drug-related items.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Rainey will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Rainey's federal sentence was ordered to run partially consecutively to his state sentence related to the December 16, 2024, shooting.

United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Des Moines Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Kristin M. Herrera prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.