A crusty, rust-covered gun discovered by a citizen during low tide in Des Moines on May 26, 2025 will be donated to the Washington State Patrol (WSP) Crime Lab for training, according to the Des Moines Police Department (DMPD).
The weapon was recovered along the city’s shoreline and appeared heavily corroded.
Officials did not indicate whether the gun was connected to any active investigation, but said it would serve a useful role in law enforcement education.
The announcement came as part of DMPD’s weekly incident review, which reported 319 calls for service and 45 traffic stops during the period from May 24 to May 30, 2025.
Incident breakdowns included:
- 3 auto thefts (plus 1 attempted theft)
- 2 felony arrests and 14 misdemeanor arrests
- 16 domestic incidents
- 15 traffic collisions
- 28 welfare checks
- 22 suspicious vehicle calls
- 4 DUIs and 1 juvenile runaway
The firearm recovery was not listed among the call types but was featured prominently in the department’s community report:
