Saydel Student Remains in Critical Condition After Ankeny Shooting

A Berwick teen who was shot in the head Saturday at an Ankeny house remains in critical condition today, according to authorities.

Ankeny police have released no new details in the shooting as of Monday afternoon.

The police department said the victim, Michael Wells, 13, of Berwick, was visiting a 13-year-old friend at a house at 6388 N.E. 22nd St. in Ankeny.

Wells was found in the parents' bedroom with a single gunshot to the head and was taken to Mercy Medical Center.

Wells is currently in the hospital’s children’s center intensive care unit, and is in critical condition, according to the Des Moines Register.

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

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. 

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

The Facebook page Prayers for Mike Wells was created over the weekend with the mission of posting prayers and positive thoughts for the teen and his family.

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