An Iowa man accused of shooting at vehicles traveling along an interstate and injuring a woman allegedly told police after his arrest, “I had to kill people today,” court records state.
Andrew Darrick Tanaka, 27, of West Des Moines, is charged with four counts of attempted murder in connection with Monday afternoon’s shootings on Interstate 35 in Warren County, the Iowa Department of Public Safety said.
According to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed Tuesday in Warren County District Court, Tanaka allegedly made the statement after authorities took him into custody.
The violence was reported at about 3:31 p.m. Monday, when emergency dispatchers began receiving multiple 911 calls about gunfire on the northbound side of I-35.
Andrew Darrick Tanaka, 27, faces four attempted murder charges after allegedly firing at several vehicles on Iowa’s Interstate 35 on Oct. 5, 2026. (Iowa Department of Public Safety)
The affidavit says Tanaka was driving a black Chevrolet Equinox when a woman in a black BMW passed him. The BMW then overtook a Subaru Outback.
Investigators allege Tanaka pursued the Subaru and fired at least two shots through the driver’s-side window. One bullet struck the woman behind the wheel in her left shoulder.
He allegedly then caught up with the BMW and fired another shot through its driver’s-side window.
Tanaka continued driving north before striking the rear of a gray Nissan Altima occupied by two people, court documents say.
Authorities have not identified a motive in the Interstate 35 shootings in Iowa. (Stephen M. Katz/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
When the people in the Nissan stopped and approached to check on him, Tanaka allegedly exited the Equinox with a handgun and fired at least one shot into the vehicle’s windshield.
Warren County sheriff’s deputies, West Des Moines police officers and Iowa State Patrol troopers responded to the shooting reports near mile marker 56.
Officers found the wounded woman and several vehicles that appeared to have been hit by gunfire. She was transported to a nearby hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Authorities later located Tanaka along the interstate after the crash left his vehicle disabled.
The Des Moines skyline is visible from the lookout at Two Rivers Park on Oct. 9, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa. (Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
According to the affidavit, Tanaka was standing on the highway shoulder with a handgun when officers arrived. He was arrested without further incident.
The shootings prompted authorities to close the interstate for several hours as investigators examined the scene and collected evidence.
Tanaka was booked into the Warren County Jail on four counts of attempted murder.
The Warren County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are leading the investigation.