Six people were shot, one fatally, inside a high school in Perry, Iowa, as students prepared for their first day of classes winter break.
A sixth-grade student, whose identity was not disclosed, was shot to death in the Thursday morning shooting at Perry High School. Four students and a school administrator were wounded and taken to area hospitals.
The shooter was found dead in the school from what is believed to be a self-inflicted wound. He was identified as Dylan Butler, 17, a senior at Perry High.
Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said Butler had been armed with a shotgun and a handgun. Authorities also found an explosive device in the school, but officers were able to render it harmless.
Mortvedt said the identities of the victims were being withheld; the wounded administrator reportedly is high school principal Dan Marburger. The conditions of the victims were not released officially, but Mortvedt said he believed four of the five were in stable condition.
Investigators believe Butler acted alone, Mortvedt said. The student was posting messages on social media before and during the shooting attack.
The high school is part of the 1,785-student Perry Community School District.
