CLIVE, Iowa, Jan. 4 (UPI) — A sixth-grade student was killed Thursday in a shooting at Perry High School in Iowa.
The shooter was also found dead at the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Five more people were injured, including four students and one school administrator. They were transported to area hospitals.
Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations, confirmed during a press briefing that 17-year-old Dylan Butler opened fire in the school Thursday morning.
Police received an alert of an active shooter inside the high school about 7:37 a.m. School was supposed to begin at 7:55 a.m.
Butler was armed with a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun. A “rudimentary” explosive device was also found. It was rendered safe by the state fire marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“All evidence suggests Butler acted alone,” Mortvedt said.
He added that Butler made posts on social media shortly before the shooting.
The shooter’s motivation is unknown and the shooting is under investigation.
Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante said fewer students and faculty members were in the building at the time than would have been had classes begun. The first officer arrived on the scene about 7 minutes after the alert. About 150 officers responded within the hour.
“It’s still unclear how many are injured or the extent of injuries,” Infante said. “There is no further danger to the public. We are working backwards trying to figure out everything that happened and make notifications.”
Perry’s high school and middle school are connected with a cafeteria near the hallway that connects the two. Mortvedt said there may have been students from different grades in the cafeteria at the time of the shooting.
Infante said all students were reunified with their parents within the first two hours of the incident.
Perry is situated about 40 miles northwest of Des Moines in central Iowa. Law enforcement agencies that responded included the Perry Police Department, Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, Polk County Sheriff’s Department, Des Moines Police Department and the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations.
LifeServe Blood Center, the organization that supplies all Des Moines-area hospitals, is asking for donations in relation to the shooting.
“Our hearts are with our neighbors in Perry impacted by the horrific situation that continues to develop this morning,” Stacy Sime, the LifeServe CEO and president, said in a statement.
“We’re encouraging community members to donate as soon as they can to help replenish our community blood supply.”
Perry has a population of 7,800. The high school was named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education last month.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona visited the school Dec. 7. Blue Ribbon Schools “are recognized for academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups,” according to the Department of Education.
