Man shot to death during county meeting in Iowa

MAQUOKETA, Iowa — An Iowa man angry about his property taxes was fatally shot during a public meeting Tuesday after he pulled a gun from a briefcase and pointed it at the county assessor, law enforcement officials said.

Francis Glaser, a former Maquoketa city manager, had become agitated and vocal about his property taxes going up during a weekly meeting of Jackson County’s board of supervisors in Maquoketa, a town about 150 miles northeast of Des Moines.

As the meeting ended in the local courthouse, Glaser, 71, pulled a small gun and fired at County Assessor Deb Lane but missed, Jackson County Sheriff Russ Kettmann said. One of the county’s three supervisors, Larry Koos, was nearby and stepped in. He struggled with Glaser, and a second shot was fired. Glaser was hit and died at the scene, Kettmann said.

“He still had the gun in his hand and the trigger finger in the trigger,” Maquoketa Police Chief Brad Koranda said.

The sheriff said Koos “probably saved a life.” He was injured during the struggle, when his arm crashed through a glass door, and was sent to a local hospital for stitches. He was later released.

Kettmann said if Koos and others hadn’t been there, “it could have been a lot worse.”

The shooting occurred during a meeting in which officials were discussing property assessments. Kettmann said Glaser, who was the city manager in the 1990s, had been vocal over the years about his property taxes going up.

Kettmann said the courthouse does not have permanent security measures in place. A metal wand is used during high-profile court cases, and a panic button is available in case of an emergency.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation will investigate the shooting. The courthouse was closed after the shooting.