Police in Perry, Iowa, identified the suspected school shooter on Thursday as Dylan Butler.
The announcement comes hours after police in Perry responded to a shooting at Perry High School that left several victims with gunshot wounds. The Associated Press reported that the suspected shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, citing a law enforcement official speaking on the condition of anonymity. AP also previously reported that one of the victims was identified as a school faculty member.
Officials said Butler, 17, was a student at Perry High School and was armed with a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun. An improvised explosive device was also found during a search of the school. Butler also reportedly made social media posts in and around the time of the shooting.
Investigators were said to still be gathering evidence and no motive is known yet.
Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante said during a press conference that officers first received a call of an active shooter at Perry High School at about 7:37 a.m. local time. An officer arrived at the scene about seven minutes after the report and “located multiple gunshot victims,” Infante said.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Infante initially said that he was unable to confirm the total number of injured or if there were any fatalities.
“School didn’t start yet, luckily, so there were very few students and faculty in the building, which I think contributed to a good outcome in that sense,” Infante added.
While speaking with AP, Ava Augustus, a senior at Perry High School, explained that she was in a school official’s office and heard gunshots. Augustus and others in the office blocked the doors while the gunshots sounded.
“And then we hear ‘He’s down. You can go out,'” she said. “And I run and you can just see glass everywhere, blood on the floor. I get to my car and they’re taking a girl out of the auditorium who had been shot in her leg.”
Rachael Kares, another senior, told AP: “My band teacher looked at us and yelled, ‘Run!’ So we ran.”
On Facebook, the Easton Valley Community School District in Iowa announced that Dan Marburger, a graduate of the district and current Perry High School principal, was one of the victims.
“We have not confirmed the extent of his injuries so we wanted to send out a message asking for thoughts and prayers for him and his family. Dan has served as a principal for the Perry Community School District since 1995,” the post said.
“Our hearts break to hear of this kind of violence that affects so many people, including many in our community. Our thoughts will also be with the entire Perry community as they grieve through this traumatic event.”
Newsweek reached out to the Perry High School for more information.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.