Candlelight Vigil Planned for Teen Shot in Ankeny Home

A Berwick boy who was shot in the head at an Ankeny residence Saturday is still in critical condition Tuesday, the Des Moines Register reports.

Michael Wells, 12, was taken from 6388 N.E. 22nd St. to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines Saturday after he suffered a single gunshot wound to the head.

Wells is a Saydel seventh-grade student at Woodside Middle School just south of Ankeny. Saydel Superintendent Brad Buck said the school district was told about the shooting Sunday and enacted its crisis plan.

A candlelight vigil also is planned for Wells, according to the Facebook page Prayers for Mike Wells. The page was created over the weekend with the mission of posting prayers and positive thoughts for the teen and his family.

The vigil will be held on Thursday at 8 p.m. at Highland Park Christian Church in Des Moines. The church is located at 4260 N.W. Sixth Drive.

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Police said there were two other juveniles at the residence at the time of the incident, a 14-year-old girl and her 13-year-old brother. These teens are being treated as witnesses, police said, and their names have not been released.

The youths' parents were not home during the time of the incident.

Wells was found in the parents' bedroom. The two teens who also were in the home are being treated as witnesses, police said.

Details of how Wells was shot are still under investigation and no charges have been filed, police said.

The Facebook page also asks supporters to leave their porch lights on until Wells returns home.