One student dead, 5 injured after shooter opens fire at Iowa high school before turning gun on himself
The suspect, identified as a 17-year-old student at the high school named Dylan Butler, turned the gun on himself after carrying out the shooting
One student was killed and five others were injured after a shooter opened fire at Perry High School in Iowa on Thursday morning, January 4. The suspect, identified as a 17-year-old student at the high school named Dylan Butler, then turned the gun on himself, according to Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa Department of Public Safety's Division of Criminal Investigation.
Among the shooting victims were five students. A six-grader died. Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger is believed to be among those who were shot, the Perry Community School Board and the Easton Valley School District confirmed, as per ABC News. While four victims were stable, one was believed to be in critical condition.
Butler was carrying a pump-action shotgun and a small-calibre handgun. A "rudimentary" explosive device too was found in the school.
The shooting took place before the school day had started, and therefore there were not many students and staff in the building, "which I think contributed to a good outcome in that sense," Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante told reporters. This was the first day of school after winter break.
"There is no further danger to the public. The community is safe," the sheriff added. "We're just now working backwards, trying to figure out everything that happened and make notifications."
Butler, before the shooting, shared a TikTok of himself in what seemed like the school bathroom stall. “Now we wait,” it was captioned. In the background, the song Stray Bullet by KMFDM played. The song has lyrics like “I’m your nightmare coming true, I am your worst enemy,” and “Stray bullet, from the barrel of love.”
According to officials, the White House has been informed about the shooting. The FBI was assisting local authorities. “All of our condolences to the victims and their families; they need your thoughts and prayers as well as time and space to process and to grieve,” Chief Eric Vaughn of Perry Police Department said.
“All of our condolences to the victims and their families; they need your thoughts and prayers as well as time and space to process and to grieve,” he added.
