PERRY: A sixth-grade kid was killed and five others were injured after a 17-year-old opened fire at an Iowa school on the first day of classes after the winter break, according to law enforcement officials.
Officials identified the suspect as Dylan Butler, a Perry High School student, during a news conference. Responding authorities discovered him deceased with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
When police searched the high school, they uncovered an improvised explosive device, according to Mitch Mortvedt, an assistant director with the state Department of Criminal Investigation. The device was rendered safe by members of the state fire marshal’s office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The Iowa shooting, which occurred on the first day of school in 2024, is part of a national epidemic of gun violence in US schools that has gotten worse in recent years.
According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, there were 346 events in 2023 in which a gun was exhibited or discharged at school or a bullet struck school property. That was the highest of any year in the website’s records, which dates back to 1966, and it was the third consecutive record-breaking year.
According to the site, four similar instances have already occurred in 2024, only four days into the year.
Perry, a hamlet of around 7,900 people, is located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines, the state capital. The middle and high schools are on the same campus.
The incident occurred just after 7:30 a.m. (1330 GMT), before the majority of students and faculty had entered the institution. Butler was carrying a pump-action shotgun and a handgun, according to Mortvedt.
Butler made many social media posts around the time of the incident, according to Mortvedt, without providing specifics. He stated that the shooter’s motivation was being investigated.
According to Mortvedt, four of the injured individuals are pupils, while the fifth is a school official. No identities have been released.
According to Mortvedt, one victim was in serious condition but did not appear to have life-threatening injuries, while the other four were in stable condition.
“This senseless tragedy has shaken our entire state to its core,” Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said at the new briefing.
The FBI’s Omaha-Des Moines office was assisting in the investigation, and US Attorney General Merrick Garland was briefed on the shooting, according to a Justice Department official.
“We cannot allow these tragedies to continue,” stated White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “We have to do something.”
According to a campaign official, Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy had planned to host a rally in Perry but modified the event to an in-person prayer meeting after learning of the incident.
In 11 days, Iowa will have the first statewide contest for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
“Pray for the community in Perry, Iowa this morning.” On the X social media network, Ramaswamy stated
