UPDATED 3:44 P.M.
PERRY, Iowa (Reuters) -A sixth-grader was killed on Thursday morning and five other people wounded when a 17-year-old student opened fire at an Iowa school on the first day of classes following the holiday break, law enforcement officials said.
The suspect was identified as Dylan Butler, a 17-year-old student at Perry High School, officials said at a news briefing. He was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound by responding officers.
Police also discovered an improvised explosive device when searching the high school, Mitch Mortvedt, an assistant director with the state Department of Criminal Investigation, told reporters. Members of the state fire marshal’s office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives rendered the device safe.
The shooting occurred on what was to be the first day of the spring semester, according to the school district’s calendar. Perry, a town of about 7,900, is about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Des Moines, the state’s capital city.
The attack took place just after 7:30 a.m. (1330 GMT), before most students and faculty had entered the building.
Butler was armed with a pump-action shotgun and a handgun, Mortvedt said, and made a number of social media posts around the time of the shooting. The motive for the attack is under investigation.
Four of the wounded victims are students, and the fifth is a school administrator, said Mortvedt, who declined to release any names. Another school district, Easton Valley, issued a statement saying it had received word that Dan Marburger, the high school principal, was shot in the attack.
One victim was in critical condition but did not appear to be facing life-threatening injuries, Mortvedt said, while the other four were in stable condition.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy had been scheduled to hold a rally in Perry but changed the event to an in-person prayer meeting after reports of the shooting, a campaign spokesperson said.
Iowa will hold the first statewide contest for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in 11 days.
“Pray for the community in Perry, Iowa this morning.” Ramaswamy said on the X social media platform.
(Reporting by Scott Morgan in Perry, Iowa, Helen Coster in New York, Brendan O’Brien in Chicago, Rich McKay in Atlanta and Joseph Ax in Princeton, New Jersey; Writing by Joseph Ax; Editing by Chris Reese and Alistair Bell)
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PERRY, Iowa (Reuters) -A sixth-grade student was killed on Thursday morning and five other people wounded when a teenager opened fire at an Iowa school, law enforcement officials said.
The suspect was identified as a 17-year-old student at Perry High School, officials said at a news briefing. He was found with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound by responding officers.
The shooting occurred on what was to be the first day of the spring semester, according to the school district’s calendar. Perry, a town of about 7,900, is about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Des Moines, the state’s capital city.
(Reporting by Scott Morgan in Perry, Iowa, Helen Coster in New York, Brendan O’Brien in Chicago and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Writing by Joseph Ax; Editing by Chris Reese)
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PERRY, Iowa (Reuters) -Several people were wounded on Thursday morning in a shooting at an Iowa high school on the first day of classes after the holiday break, officials said.
The shooting at Perry High School took place just after 7:30 a.m. (1330 GMT) and resulted in “multiple victims,” Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante said at a news briefing. The extent and exact number of injuries were still being determined, he said.
After the briefing, both CNN and NBC News reported that the shooter was dead, citing law enforcement officials. NBC reported that the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
ABC News previously reported that at least one person was killed, citing unnamed law enforcement officials. During the briefing, Infante did not confirm or deny that report.
The sheriff did say that the shooter had been identified but offered no further information.
Agents from the FBI and ATF responded to the scene, and the U.S. attorney general has been briefed, a U.S. Justice Department spokesperson said.
The shooting occurred on what was to be the first day of the spring semester, according to the school district’s calendar. Perry, a town of about 7,900, is about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Des Moines, the state’s capital city.
Few students and faculty were in the building at the time, since classes had not yet begun, Infante said, which may have curtailed the number of victims.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur who founded a biotechnology company, had been scheduled to hold a rally in Perry but changed the event to an in-person prayer after reports of the shooting, a campaign spokesperson said.
Iowa will hold the first statewide contest for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in 11 days.
“Pray for the community in Perry, Iowa this morning.” Ramaswamy said on the X social media platform.
(Reporting by Scott Morgan in Perry, Iowa, Helen Coster in New York, Brendan O’Brien in Chicago and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Writing by Joseph Ax)
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UPDATED 10:01 A.M.
(Reuters) -At least one person was killed and several others were wounded on Thursday morning in a shooting at an Iowa high school, ABC News reported, citing law enforcement officials briefed on the situation.
The shooting took place at Perry High School on what was to be the first day of the spring semester, according to the school district’s calendar. Perry, a town of about 7,900, is about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Des Moines, the state’s capital city.
The scene was “secured” as of 9:30 a.m. local time (1530 GMT), ABC reported, citing Dallas County officials. Police were expected to deliver a news briefing at 10 a.m. (1600 GMT).
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy had been scheduled to hold a rally in Perry but changed the event to an in-person prayer after reports of the shooting, a campaign spokesperson said.
Iowa will hold the first statewide contest for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in 11 days.
(Reporting by Helen Coster in New York, Brendan O’Brien in Chicago and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Writing by Joseph Ax)
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PERRY, Iowa — At least one person is dead and several others are injured after a shooting at a high school in Perry, Iowa Thursday morning.
Perry is a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa.
Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to Perry High School around 7:40 a.m.
Officials say the scene is now “secured”.
We’ll have more information as it is released.
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