by A gunman killed a sixth-grade student and wounded five other people at a high school in Perry, Iowa, early Thursday, just as students were returning to school after their winter break.
Four of the injured were students and one was an administrator, Mitch Mortvedt, deputy director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said at a news conference Thursday. One of the injured victims was in critical condition.
The administrator was identified by the Easton Valley Community School District as Dan Marburger, principal at Perry High School, where the shooting took place. Authorities did not release the names of any other victims.
The gunman, identified as Dylan Butler, a 17-year-old student at the high school, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Mortvedt said. Law enforcement officials believe he acted alone and said the motive for the attack is not yet known.
In Perry, a city of 8,000 about 40 miles northwest of Des Moines, the shooting sent parents rushing to schools, businesses closing their doors early and, after dark, residents gathering for candlelight vigils.
Hundreds of people huddled in the cold in a park Thursday night, where ministers led the group in prayer and residents shared their stories of what had happened that day. A high school student told the crowd that she heard gunshots that morning and thought they were the sounds of balloons popping. Another speaker said she knew the student who had been killed, “an amazing kid and he was the sweetest.”
Laura Espinoza, 38, an educator at Perry Elementary School, said she knew Mr. Marburger, the principal who was shot. He was personable, friendly and eager to get to know her students, she said.
“I feel like a lot of times you say that the director is a very serious authority figure, and he is, but he’s also a person that you can hear a joke from,” he said. “Or you could tell a joke and he’ll laugh.”
Ms. Espinoza said that when the school closed that day, she went into “panic mode,” trying to protect her students while frantic for the safety of her own children.
“You just don’t imagine it will happen to you,” he said. “I feel like we go into these workouts ready to learn, but hoping that you never have to use that.”
The shooting occurred just as the school day began. Authorities said calls about someone with a gun at Perry Middle School started coming in shortly after 7:30 a.m. and emergency responders arrived about seven minutes later at the school.
The attack took place before classes started, Mortvedt said during a breakfast program serving students from various grades where the middle school and high school share a campus.
He said when law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, they found multiple victims with gunshot wounds and students and teachers sheltering in place and fleeing the school.
They also found a “rudimentary” improvised explosive, Mortvedt said, and agents from the state fire marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives “made the device safe.”
The gunman was armed with a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun, Mortvedt said. He also made “a series of social media posts at the time of and around the shooting,” which law enforcement officials are investigating, Mortvedt said.
About 150 law enforcement officers responded to the scene, Mortvedt said.
Gov. Kim Reynolds said at a news conference Thursday that the shooting “has shaken us to our core” and acknowledged the “incredible coordination” of local, state and federal agencies.
The victims’ families “need your thoughts and prayers, as well as time and space to process and grieve,” said Chief Eric Vaughn of the Perry Police Department, fighting back tears. “This community has been through tough times before and has come together. “I am sure this time will be no different.”
As of Thursday afternoon, several patients with gunshot wounds were being treated at Iowa Methodist Medical Center and MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center, the Polk County Medical Coordination Center said in a statement.
Perry High School senior Ava Augustus told WHO 13 News she was in her counselor’s office when she heard three gunshots. When they got the go-ahead, she saw glass everywhere, blood on the floor, and a student who had been shot in the leg being carried out of the auditorium.
Jody Kurth told KCCI 8 News, a local CBS affiliate, that her stepson, a Perry High School student, was injured in the shooting. She described the morning attack as “an absolute nightmare”.
His daughter texted him to tell him about the shooter, he said, calling it “one of the worst moments of my entire life.”
His two children were safe, he told KCCI.
At a community center in Perry, a bus dropped off elementary school students, where parents waited for their children to arrive. One of the first parents was Amanda Woods, 34, mother of two young children.
“At first I wasn’t sure what school I was at,” said Woods, who had been listening to the police scanner for more information about the shooting. “It was driving me crazy”.
The shooting added an extra layer of national attention to the small community of Perry, home to about 8,000 people. Media outlets were already in the area Thursday to cover a campaign event scheduled for Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who hosted a prayer circle just hours after the attack. Attendees expressed fear, but little surprise.
“God, please help our country,” Ramaswamy said as he addressed the prayer event and shook hands with everyone, calling it a “somber day.”
Ramaswamy was in Iowa ahead of the state’s Republican caucuses, scheduled for Jan. 15.
Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, said President Biden had been briefed about the shooting.
“Our students and teachers deserve to know that their schools are safe spaces and to focus on learning, not duck-and-cover drills,” he said at a briefing Thursday.
In a statement on social media, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa called the “horrific violence” at Perry High School “heartbreaking” and thanked school and law enforcement officials for their quick response.
Shelbie Lehman arrived at Mr. Ramaswamy’s event with her partner after picking up her first-grade daughter from elementary school after hearing about the high school shooting.
“It’s very scary to have your son taken out with a gun and an officer, and to have seven or eight police officers there,” Ms. Lehman told Mr. Ramaswamy.
Ms. Lehman said it was difficult to explain to her daughter why there were so many police officers and why she was picked up at school. She said she planned to try to explain things to her daughter later today as best she could.
The Perry Community School District said the high school, middle school and elementary school would be closed Friday.
Remy Tumin and Victor Mather reported from New York, and Leah McBride Mensching from Perry, Iowa. Molly Longman contributed reports from Perry, and julia bosman from Chicago.
