Iowa Attorney General’s Office Concludes Officer Acted with Legal Justification in Des Moines County Shooting

DES MOINES—In a report issued today, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office has concluded that the August 5, 2025, fatal shooting of David Leonard Maupin by a deputy from the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office was legally justified. 

The Attorney General’s conclusion was based on a review and investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The investigation found that on August 5, 2025, Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office personnel were dispatched to a rural Burlington address for a report of a domestic disturbance. The subject, David Leonard Maupin, was reported to be belligerent, intoxicated, and armed with a firearm.  

Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office dispatch received a call at 9:09 p.m. on August 5, 2025. The caller, Jamie Gray, reported that her live-in boyfriend, David Maupin, was intoxicated, causing property damage, and had brandished a shotgun in front of her and her 3-year-old son. Deputy Brett Haubrich responded to the scene and found Maupin in a dark, detached garage. Maupin emerged from the garage, but refused to comply with Haubrich’s commands, yelled, and taunted Haubrich. Maupin told the deputy he was going to shoot him and then went back into the darkened garage. Maupin emerged with a rifle and ordered the deputy to leave. Maupin ignored multiple commands to drop the weapon, instead advancing toward Deputy Haubrich. When Maupin leveled the rifle at Haubrich, he fired on Maupin, killing him.   

A search of the scene revealed that the gun Maupin had pointed at Deputy Haubrich was inside the garage near where Maupin fell. The weapon was a fully loaded Ruger .22 caliber rifle with a round in the chamber. Two additional rifles and two shotguns were also in the garage. Investigators located a number of beer cans in the garage and in Maupin’s vehicle. An autopsy showed that Maupin’s blood-alcohol level was .30, well over three times the legal limit. 

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office concludes that Deputy Haubrich’s actions in this incident were legally justified and that criminal charges are unwarranted. It considers the criminal investigation into this incident to be closed. 

The report is issued under the Attorney General’s independent authority under Iowa Code section 13.12 to investigate or prosecute conduct of law enforcement that results in death. 

A copy of the report is available here. 

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For More Information:

Jen Green 

jen.green@ag.iowa.gov