On Mother’s Day Morning, Sunday, May 8, 2011 19-year-old Brandyn Preston was shot and critically injured while attending an outdoor gathering in the back yard of 1101 10th Ave. SW in Fort Dodge. Mr. Preston was initially stabilized at Trinity Regional Medical Center then transported to a Des Moines hospital for additional care.

Sadly, on Sunday, January 22, 2012 Brandyn Preston passed away in Tampa, Florida. A subsequent autopsy indicated that Mr. Preston died as a result of the gunshot wound – a homicide.

Investigators with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), DCI Criminalistics Lab, detectives with the Webster County Sheriff’s Department and the Fort Dodge Police Department have been tirelessly following up on countless pieces of evidence, Crime Stoppers Tips, information and leads developed over the last fourteen months. As a result of their work the case continued to take shape and a suspect was identified.

The Webster County Attorney’s Office and Iowa State Attorney General’s Office we are pleased to announce the arrest of 26-year-old Derrick Jamaal McElroy of Fort Dodge. Mr. McElroy has been charged with Murder in the 1st Degree and booked into the Webster County Jail. He will make his initial appearance in the Webster County Magistrate Court on Friday, July 13, 2012. As with every subject, Mr. McElroy is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.