A sixth-grade student was killed and five others were wounded after a gunman attacked Perry High School in the US state of Iowa on Thursday (January 4, 2024).
The gunman was later identified as 17-year-old Dylan Butler.
According to reports, he was dead.
The five people wounded include four students and one school administrator, officials told CNN.
The attack was one of at least four mass shootings that have unfolded in the United States in 2024, according to the Gun Violence Archive. And it marks the second US shooting on school property in 2024, according to a CNN analysis.
Officers responded to the shooting within minutes and found several people at the high school suffering gunshot wounds, and then found the gunman with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa Department of Public Safety Division of Criminal Investigation was quoted as saying by CNN during a press conference.
Authorities found an improvised explosive device during a search of the school and was rendered safe later on.
The gunman was armed with a pump-action shotgun and a small caliber handgun, and had also made a number of social media posts around the time of the shooting, said Mortvedt, who did not offer more details on the contents of those posts.
“It all happened in the Perry High School, and it was before school started so there were not many students, and it’s our understanding that there was a breakfast program going on so there may have been students of different grades … in the school at that time,” Mortvedt said.
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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds condoled the loss of life in the incident posted on X: “Our hearts are broken by this senseless tragedy. Our prayers are with the students, teachers & families of the Perry Community.”
She said flags will be flown at half-staff on the State Capitol Building and on flag displays in the Capitol Complex.
“Flags will also be at half-staff on all public buildings, grounds and facilities throughout the state,” the Governor said.
Former South Carolina governor and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley wrote on X: “No parent, student, or teacher should have to wake up and face news about a school shooting. My heart aches for the victims of Perry, Iowa and the entire community.”
