US media sites reported that police concluded that the Iowa shooting that resulted in the death of two teens and the injury of two others on Monday was a premeditated targeted attack.

According to the news outlets, 18-year-old Gionni Dameron and 16-year-old Rashad Carr were killed by 18-year-old Preston Walls of Des Moines.

The police said that Walls, who was involved in an ongoing gang dispute, walked into the premises of Starts Right Here school, which hosts a dedicated program for students at-risk, and fatally shot the two teenagers while leaving the founder of the program, 49-year-old William Holmes, in a critical condition and requiring immediate surgery.

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The shooter went before the court on Tuesday and was charged with two counts of first-degree murder; one count of attempted murder and one count of criminal gang participation. He is expected to appear in court on February 3 for the preliminary hearing.

The United States is grappling with the horror of escalating gun violence that is claiming lives almost on a daily basis, with most of the shootings leaving multiple casualties.

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A succession of high-profile mass shootings in the US are targeting schools, churches, grocery stores, and hospitals amongst other public and civilian facilities.

Earlier today, a shooter in Washington, who is still at large, killed three people in what police described as a random attack.

Two days ago, California witnessed two separate mass shootings that resulted in the death of 18 people.

On January 17, two mass shootings in California and Florida left several dead, including a 17-year-old mother and her 6-month-old baby, and others injured.