Iowa shooting: ‘Joyful’ 11-year-old victim mourned as bullying of Perry school gunman revealed

The Iowa school shooter who killed one sixth grader and injured five was bullied “relentlessly,” according to his former classmates.

Dylan Butler, 17, was named as the gunman who attacked Perry High School in Iowa on Thursday as students returned from their Christmas break.

His former classmates, sisters Yesenia Roeder and Khamya Hall, both 17, said that Butler had been bullied relentlessly since elementary school.

They added that the bullying had escalated recently, when his younger sister started getting picked on, too. Officials at the school didn’t intervene, they said, and that was “the last straw” for the shooter.

“He was hurting. He got tired. He got tired of the bullying. He got tired of the harassment,” Yesenia Roeder Hall said.

Police said the suspect’s motive was being investigated and authorities were looking into “a number of social media posts” he made around the time of the shooting, Des Moines Register reported.

Moments before the shooting, Butler, who was found dead at the scene, posted a video on TikTok captioned “now we wait” and the song “Stray Bullet” by the German band KMFDM accompanied it.

Ahmir Jolliff, the 11-year-old victim of the shooting, is remembered by family and friends as a joyful boy known as “Smiley” at home.

Key Points

• What we know about the Iowa school shooting

• 11-year-old killed in Iowa school shooting remembered as a joyful boy

• Iowa shooting suspect dead from self-inflicted gunshot wound, source says

• Iowa school shooter’s chilling final social media post revealed

• ‘We have to get over it’: Trump comments on Iowa school shooting

Classes cancelled Friday

Friday 5 January 2024 18:28 , Graig Graziosi

Classes at Perry High School were cancelled on Friday after a student, Dylan Butler, shot and killed a sixth grader and wounded five others, including four students and a school administrator, on Thursday morning.

Butler died by suicide at the school.

The school shut down to allow the students and the community time to grieve after the incident.

WATCH: Iowa student describes escaping school shooting

Friday 5 January 2024 19:24 , Graig Graziosi

Nikki Haley calls for schools to be secured ‘like airports'

Friday 5 January 2024 19:52 , Graig Graziosi

GOP presidential primary candidate and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has called for heightened security at schools hours after a shooter killed a sixth grader and wounded five others at Perry High School in Iowa.

Images from Iowa: Candlelight vigil, makeshift memorial

Friday 5 January 2024 20:20 , Graig Graziosi

Perry school teacher describes going into ‘panic mode,’ shares details about principal injured in Iowa shooting

Friday 5 January 2024 21:06 , Graig Graziosi

Laura Espinoza, 38, a teacher at Perry Elementary School, shared what she experienced during a shooting on Thursday at the combined K-12 school Iowa. The shooting left one sixth grade student dead and injured five others, including four students and a school administrator.

Ms Espinoza said she went into “panic mode” when she realised what was happening, according to The New York Times.

“You just don’t imagine it’ll happen to you,” she said. “I feel like we go into these trainings ready to learn, but hoping that you’ll never have to use that.”

She said she knew principal Dan Marburger, one of the five injured in the attack, who she described as friendly and eager to get to know and help students at the school.

“I feel like a lot of times you say the principal is this very serious authority figure, which he is, but he’s also a person you can hear a joke from,” she said. “Or you could tell a joke and he’ll laugh about it.”

Mr Marburger is in stable condition.

Shooter acted alone

Friday 5 January 2024 21:40 , Graig Graziosi

Dylan Butler, the 17-year-old who attacked Perry High School on Thursday morning, reportedly acted alone, according to assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Mitch Mortvedt.

Police reportedly searched the school immediately after discovering Butler’s body inside the school. He died by suicide. They found no evidence of a second shooter.

One sixth grader from Perry Middle School was killed in the attack. Four other students, as well as an administrator, were injured in the shooting.

Police are still working to determine a motive.

Students should not be ‘looking for escape routes’ in school, Iowa Democratic Party chair says

Friday 5 January 2024 22:00 , Graig Graziosi

Students should not be “looking for escape routes” in school, the Iowa Democratic Party chair has said.

Rita Hart said released a statement following the Iowa school shooting in which one sixth grader died and five other people were injured.

Students “should be able to focus on creating brighter futures for themselves while they are in their classrooms, not looking for escape routes, hiding places, or fearing for their safety,” she said.

“I am so sad and so sorry that the Perry community is living this nightmare that has happened far too often across our country,” she added.

“The Perry community deserves better. Iowa deserves better.”

Sheriff says few students at school when the shooting occurred

Friday 5 January 2024 23:00 , Graig Graziosi

Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante said that there were only a few students at Perry High School when gunfire broke out on Thursday.

“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,” he said during a press briefing.

The shooter reportedly died by suicide, according to police. One of the victims who was shot was reportedly a school administrator. One sixth grade victim died and four other students, as well as a school administrator, were injured in the attack.

Iowa governor issues statement following shooting

Saturday 6 January 2024 00:00 , Graig Graziosi

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a statement on Thursday after 17-year-old Dylan Butler was identified as the gunman who attacked Perry High School and killed a sixth grade student. Four other students and a school administrator were also injured in the attack.

“Our hearts are heavy today and our prayers are with the Perry community,” Ms Reynolds said at an afternoon news conference. “This senseless tragedy has shaken our entire state to the core.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says gun control a ‘local and state’ issue after Iowa school shooting

Saturday 6 January 2024 01:00 , Graig Graziosi

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that gun control was a “local and state” issue, and contended that suggestions for curbing gun violence would infringe the rights of US gun owners.

“I don’t support infringing the rights of law-abiding citizens with respect to the ability to exercise their constitutional rights,” he told the Des Moines Register on Thursday.

“I know these things can be used to try to target things and a lot of the things that are proposed would not have even prevented any of these things,” he added. “Federal government is probably not going to be leading that effort. I think it is more of a local and state issue.”

President of gun control advocacy group laments that school shootings have already marred 2024

Saturday 6 January 2024 02:00 , Graig Graziosi

Kris Brown, the president of Brady, a group fighting to curb gun violence, released a statement on Thursday after news broke that a shooting had been reported at a high school in Perry, Iowa.

“New year, same horror. These students were returning to campus after their holiday break only to be met with gun violence that has uniquely plagued their generation. No child should have to hide in their classrooms fearing for their lives. No teacher should have to stand guard over their students potentially shielding them from bullets. No parent should have to fear that any day they send their child to school could be their last.“

“2024 should not start this way for the students of Perry High School or any student in our nation. Our hearts are with all the affected students, teachers, school staff, parents, and community members. This year – as with every year – we are resolved to end this deadly epidemic and free America from gun violence.”

ICYMI: White House Press Secretary said Joe Biden was ‘tracking’ the Iowa school shooting

Saturday 6 January 2024 03:00 , Graig Graziosi

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Joe Biden was “tracking” the school shooting that occurred in Iowa on Thursday morning.

“The President is tracking the tragic school shooting at Perry Middle and High School in in Iowa. Our hearts break for the families of the victims in yet another act of senseless gun violence,” she said.

Ms Jean-Pierre said that the White House had been in contact with Iowa’s governor and had offered any assistance it could provide with the investigation into the attack. She went on to lament that a school shooting had already occurred so early in 2024.

“It’s only the fourth day in the year in the new year and we are already faced with yet another horrific school shooting. And the question that we ask is when will enough be enough the questions that families ask and the victims of families ask is when will it be enough when will enough be enough?” she said. “Our students and teachers deserve to know that their schools are safe spaces and to focus on learning not duck and cover drills.”

She said Mr Biden had taken “historic action” to curb gun violence, but noted that “more must be done” to ensure the safety of students and the public at large.

“Congress must act to enact universal background checks, ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines require safe storage of firearms and the gun industry’s immunity from liability and pass a national Red Flag Law,” she said. “We cannot allow these tragedies to continue. We have to do something with that.”

Iowa shooter’s chilling last post before killing one and injuring 5

Saturday 6 January 2024 04:00 , Graig Graziosi

Police said the Iowa school shooter’s motive was being investigated and authorities were looking into “a number of social media posts” he made around the time of the shooting, Des Moines Register reported.

Shortly before the shooting, Dylan Butler, 17, who was found dead at the scene, posted a photo on TikTok captioned “now we wait” and the song “Stray Bullet” by the German band KMFDM accompanied it.

Investigators also found pictures of the 17-year-old posing with firearms posted on ios social media accounts.

Butler was named as the gunman who attacked Perry High School in Iowa on Thursday as students returned from their Christmas break, killing one sixth grader.

Butler was found dead at the scene with what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation official said.

Iowa student says he thought shooting was ‘prank’ at Perry High School

Saturday 6 January 2024 04:59 , Graig Graziosi

An Iowa student said he initially thought a shooting at Perry High School on Thursday, 4 January, was a “prank.”

The pupil, named Carlos, told NBC News he was outside the building when he heard bangs and saw children running for safety.

“One of our teachers started screaming at us and that’s how we knew it was serious,” he added.

One student died and five others were injured after a 17-year-old student opened fire on Thursday morning, around 7:37am local time.

READ MORE:

Iowa student says he thought shooting was ‘prank’ at Perry High School

White House addresses ‘senseless’ Iowa school shooting: ‘When will enough be enough?’

Saturday 6 January 2024 06:00 , Graig Graziosi

Karine Jean-Pierre addressed Thursday morning’s school shooting in Iowa during her White House press conference.

She described the incident at Perry High School - located 40 miles northwest of the state capital Des Moines - as “tragic” and “senseless”.

The Dallas County sheriff said there were ‘multiple’ gunshot victims found at the school and the suspect has reportedly died.

“We’re just a couple of days into the new year and we’re talking about another shooting, and that is heart-wrenching and that is heart-breaking,” Ms Jean-Pierre told reporters.

“When will enough be enough?”

READ MORE:

White House addresses ‘senseless’ Iowa school shooting: ‘When will enough be enough?’

WATCH: Law enforcement responds to Iowa school shooting on Thursday

Saturday 6 January 2024 07:00 , Graig Graziosi

‘It was the most scared I’ve been in my entire life’: Students and their parents recount terror of shooting

Saturday 6 January 2024 08:00 , Graig Graziosi

Zander Shelley, 15, was in a hallway when he heard gunshots and dashed into a classroom, according to his father, Kevin Shelley. Zander was grazed twice and hid in the classroom before texting his father at 7:36 a.m.

Kevin Shelley, who drives a garbage truck, told his boss he had to run. “It was the most scared I’ve been in my entire life,” he said.

Meanwhile, Amber Ross told CBC her daughter heard three gunshots come from the school’s cafeteria as she walked through a hallway that connects the cafeteria to the middle school.

“It could have been her,” she said through tears. Ms Ross said her daughter called her as the shots rung out, “I thought she was exaggerating,” she said. “I was like, ’no way, that couldn’t have happened, you guys just heard something.’ But no.

“She heard three gun shots that could have been pointed in her direction,” she added.

Rachael Kares, an 18-year-old senior, also described hearing gunshots. She was wrapping up jazz band practice when she and her bandmates heard what she described as four gunshots, spaced apart. “We all just jumped,” Kares said.

“My band teacher looked at us and yelled, ‘Run!’ So we ran.” Kares and many others from the school ran out past the football field, as she heard people yelling, “Get out! Get out!”

She said she was more concerned about getting home to her three-year-old son. “At that moment I didn’t care about anything except getting out because I had to get home with my son,” she said.

WATCH: Ron DeSantis dodges gun control question after Iowa school shooting

Saturday 6 January 2024 09:00 , Graig Graziosi

Iowa school shooter’s chilling final social media post revealed

Saturday 6 January 2024 10:00 , Graig Graziosi

Iowa police are now looking into “a number of social media posts” made by the teenager who unleashed terror on an Iowa high school on Thursday, killing one victim and injuring five.

Dylan Butler, 17, was named as the gunman who opened fire inside Perry High School in Iowa on Thursday as students returned from their Christmas break.

Butler, a former student at the school, was found dead on the scene. An Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation official said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The teenager’s motive for the attack is now under investigation, with authorities looking into “a number of social media posts” he made around the time of the shooting, Des Moines Register reported.

Shortly before the shooting, Butler posted a final chilling photo on TikTok captioned: “Now we wait”.

READ MORE:

Iowa school shooter’s chilling final social media post revealed

Vivek Ramaswamy calls gun control ‘wrong approach’ and a ‘false hubris’ in wake of Iowa shooting

Saturday 6 January 2024 11:00 , Graig Graziosi

Vivek Ramaswamy has called gun control the “wrong approach” to tackling gun violence, instead blaming an “ailment at the heart and soul of our nation” just hours after a mass shooting at a school in Iowa.

On Thursday, a 17-year-old opened fire at Perry High School in Iowa, killing one sixth grader and injuring five others before officers found him dead at the scene.

Mr Ramaswamy was in Iowa that day for a campaign event, which he said was cancelled and converted into “prayer and open conversation”.

During that open conversation, Mr Ramaswamy denounced those who are calling for gun control measures, according to a video from Politico.

“You mark my words,” he said, “Tomorrow, if not later today, you’re going to hear calls for, ‘Stop the guns, that’s the problem,’ sweeping under the rug, this real ailment at the heart and soul of our nation and our culture that has spread to the entire next generation and to the unit of the family: The loss of purpose.”

READ MORE:

Vivek Ramaswamy calls gun control ‘wrong approach’ in wake of Iowa shooting

Teen gunman, sixth grader killed and five injured: What we know about the Iowa school shooting

Saturday 6 January 2024 12:00 , Graig Graziosi

At least one person is dead and five others are injured after a 17-year-old student allegedly opened fire at Perry High School in Iowa.

Dylan Butler, 17, was named as the gunman, who opened fire on the school as students returned after their Christmas break on 4 January.

One sixth-grader was killed and five others were injured, including Perry High School principal Dan Marburger.

Mitch Mortvedt, the state investigation division’s assistant director, said one person was in critical condition but the injuries didn’t appear to be life-threatening. The other victims are in stable condition.

Butler, a former student at the school, was found dead on the scene. An Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation official said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The teenager’s motive for the attack is now under investigation.

Here’s all we know so far....

A teen gunman and sixth grader killed: What we know about the Iowa school shooting

Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger’s daughter shares her father’s condition

Saturday 6 January 2024 13:00 , Graig Graziosi

Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger was shot and wounded when Dylan Butler, 17, attacked Perry High School early on Thursday morning.

Mr Marburger was transported to a hospital for treatment and is now ins stable condition, according to his daughter.

Iowa school shooter who killed one and injured five bullied ‘relentlessly’ since elementary school

Saturday 6 January 2024 14:00 , Graig Graziosi

The Iowa school shooter who killed one sixth grader and injured five was bullied “relentlessly,” according to his former classmates.

Dylan Butler, 17, was named as the gunman who attacked Perry High School in Iowa on Thursday as students returned from their Christmas break.

His former classmates, sisters Yesenia Roeder and Khamya Hall, both 17, said that Butler had been bullied relentlessly since elementary school.

They added that the bullying had escalated recently, when his younger sister started getting picked on, too. Officials at the school didn’t intervene, they said, and that was “the last straw” for the shooter.

“He was hurting. He got tired. He got tired of the bullying. He got tired of the harassment,” Yesenia Roeder Hall said.

Was it a smart idea to shoot up the school? No. God, no,” she added.

Bulter was found dead at the scene by responding officers.

Shooter’s chilling final social media post revealed

Saturday 6 January 2024 21:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Iowa police are now looking into “a number of social media posts” made by the teenager who unleashed terror on an Iowa high school on Thursday, killing one victim and injuring five.

Dylan Butler, 17, was named as the gunman who opened fire inside Perry High School in Iowa on Thursday as students returned from their Christmas break.

Butler, a former student at the school, was found dead on the scene.

The teenager’s motive for the attack is now under investigation, with authorities looking into “a number of social media posts” he made around the time of the shooting, Des Moines Register reported.

Moments before the shooting, Butler allegedly posted a final chilling video on TikTok captioned: “Now we wait”.

Continue reading...

Iowa school shooter’s chilling final social media post revealed

DeSantis dodges question on gun control hours after Iowa school shooting

Saturday 6 January 2024 16:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis was grilled on gun control in Iowa hours after a shooting in the state killed a middle school student on the first day of classes in 2024.

Dylan Butler, 17, was named as the gunman who attacked Perry High School, killing one sixth-grader and injuring five others on Thursday. Butler was also found dead on the scene after the shooting.

Appearing on CNN’s town hall on Thursday, the Florida governor was asked, in light of the recent Iowa shooting, how he would address gun violence in schools.

He was asked by host Kaitlan Collins about the recent proposal by state senator Jonathan Martin to eliminate the statewide three-day waiting period to buy a rifle or shotgun and if he supported the movement.

Amelia Neath reports on his response:

Ron DeSantis question on gun control hours after Iowa shooting

Ramaswamy calls gun control ‘wrong approach’ and ‘false hubris’

Saturday 6 January 2024 17:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Vivek Ramaswamy has called gun control the “wrong approach” to tackling gun violence, instead blaming an “ailment at the heart and soul of our nation” just hours after a mass shooting at a school in Iowa.

On Thursday, a 17-year-old opened fire at Perry High School in Iowa, killing one sixth grader and injuring five others before officers found him dead at the scene.

Mr Ramaswamy was in Iowa that day for a campaign event, which he said was cancelled and converted into “prayer and open conversation”.

During that open conversation, Mr Ramaswamy denounced those who are calling for gun control measures, according to a video from Politico.

Katie Hawkinson reports:

Vivek Ramaswamy calls gun control ‘wrong approach’ in wake of Iowa shooting

Everything we know about the 17-year-old shooter

Saturday 6 January 2024 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Dylan Butler had always been a quiet kid, according to those who knew him.

So when he unleashed terror through Perry High School on the morning of 4 January, killing one person and injuring five, it sent shockwaves through the community.

The 17-year-old had been the target of bullying since his very early years, and the bullying had recently engulfed his sister in the leadup to his violent rampage at his rural Iowa high school, according to his classmates.

He also used his social media accounts to display his fascination with serial killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer and to share photos of himself posing with firearms.

Continue reading the full article...

Merrick Garland says new gun law has blocked over 500 firearms from being bought by young people

Saturday 6 January 2024 19:00 , AP

More than 500 gun purchases have been blocked since a new gun law requiring stricter background checks for young people went into effect in 2022, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday, the day after a school shooting in Iowa left a sixth-grader dead.

The bipartisan law passed in June 2022 was the most sweeping gun legislation in decades and requires extra checks for any gun purchases by people under age 21. Those denied a gun purchase include a person convicted of rape, a suspect in an attempted murder case and someone who had been involuntarily committed for mental-health treatment, according to the Justice Department.

President Joe Biden applauded the news, calling it an important milestone.

Continue reading...

New gun law has blocked over 500 firearms from being bought by young people, attorney general says

Shooter’s chilling final social media post revealed

Saturday 6 January 2024 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Iowa police are now looking into “a number of social media posts” made by the teenager who unleashed terror on an Iowa high school on Thursday, killing one victim and injuring five.

Dylan Butler, 17, was named as the gunman who opened fire inside Perry High School in Iowa on Thursday as students returned from their Christmas break.

Butler, a former student at the school, was found dead on the scene.

The teenager’s motive for the attack is now under investigation, with authorities looking into “a number of social media posts” he made around the time of the shooting, Des Moines Register reported.

Moments before the shooting, Butler allegedly posted a final chilling video on TikTok captioned: “Now we wait”.

Continue reading...

Iowa school shooter’s chilling final social media post revealed

Principal critically injured protecting students

Saturday 6 January 2024 21:00 , AP

An Iowa principal critically injured in a school shooting put himself in harm’s way so students could try to escape from a teenage shooter who opened fire in a cafeteria as students were gathering for breakfast before class, authorities said Friday.

Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger and six others, including two staff members and four teenage students, were injured in the Thursday morning shooting that left one sixth-grader dead. The 17-year-old student who opened fire also died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.

The state Department of Public Safety said Marburger, who is being treated in a Des Moines hospital, “acted selflessly and placed himself in harm’s way in an apparent effort to protect his students.”

Details also emerged about other victims. The student killed was identified as 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff, who was shot three times, authorities said. The mother of one teenager posted on Facebook that her son was helped to an ambulance after he was shot multiple times. Perry Superintendent Clark Wicks said several people helped others to safety.

Yellow crime tape still lined the campus Perry High School shares with the town’s middle school on Friday, and flowers and stuffed toys had cropped up in mini memorials. Wicks said classes will not resume in the district before next Friday at the earliest.

The news that seven students and staff suffered “wounds or injuries of varying degree” during the shooting was two more than authorities said Thursday afternoon. Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation spokesman Mitch Mortvedt said the number increased after investigators later learned about two more wounded faculty members. All seven are believed to have been either wounded or grazed by bullets, and suffered injuries ranging from significant to minor.

On Friday, Marburger and two students remained hospitalized.

In a Facebook post Thursday night, the principal’s daughter said he was in “surgery all day, and is currently stable.”

Claire Marburger called her father a “gentle giant” and said it wasn’t surprising that her father tried to protect his students.

“As I heard of a gunman, I instantly had a feeling my Dad would be a victim as he would put himself in harms way for the benefit of the kids and his staff,” his daughter wrote. “That’s just Dad.”

Mortvedt said Marburger, who has been principal since 1995, did some “pretty significant things” to protect others during the shooting, but didn’t release details. Wicks, the superintendent, said Marburger was a “hero” who intervened with Butler so students could escape. Wicks said other staff also acted heroically, including Middle School Assistant Principal Adam Jessen who “carried a wounded student into a safe area.”

11-year-old killed in Iowa school shooting remembered as a joyful boy

Saturday 6 January 2024 21:42 , AP

Ahmir Jolliff dashed out of his home in Perry Thursday morning, eager to see his friends on the first day back to school after winter break.

It was vintage Ahmir — known as “Smiley” around his house — an 11-year-old whirlwind of cheerful activity. He kept a trunk of toys unlocked in the front yard so anyone could play with them, his mother said. He loved soccer, played the tuba and sang in choir. He had a habit of touching people on their shoulder and asking them how their day was.

Ahmir was killed Thursday before class even started, when a 17-year-old student at Perry High School opened fire in the cafeteria. The sixth-grader, who attended the middle school that’s connected to the high school, was shot three times, authorities said. Seven others, including the school’s principal, two other staff members and four students, were wounded before the shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Ahmir’s mother, Erica Jolliff, said on that morning, her son couldn’t wait to get to school and left minutes ahead of his mom and sister, who is in ninth-grade. Jolliff soon found herself scouring the streets for her children when authorities sped into town and blocked access to the complex after the shooting. She found her daughter unharmed. But she couldn’t find Ahmir.

“I just had a feeling he was still in that building,” she said.

Continue reading:

11-year-old killed in Iowa school shooting remembered as a joyful boy who loved soccer and singing

Full story: Teen kills 6th grader, wounds 5 others and takes own life in Iowa high school shooting, police say

Saturday 6 January 2024 22:00 , AP

Teen kills 6th grader, wounds 5 others and takes own life in Iowa high school shooting, police say

Trump comments on Iowa school shooting: ‘We have to get over it’

Saturday 6 January 2024 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

While campaigning in Iowa on Friday — one day after the Perry, Iowa high school shooting occurred — Donald Trump offered his “deepest sympathies” to those affected just before telling the crowd “we have to get over it.”

Speaking at Sioux Center on 5 January, the former president said: “To the entire community, we love you, we pray for you, and we ask God to heal and comfort really the whole state and the pain that you have. This is something that’s very unique to your state.”

“That’s just horrible, so surprising to see it here, but we have to get over it,” Mr Trump said. “We have to move forward.”

‘We have to get over it’: Trump comments on Iowa school shooting

01:00 , Oliver O'Connell

White House addresses ‘senseless’ Iowa school shooting: ‘When will enough be enough?’

‘It was the most scared I’ve been in my entire life’: Students and their parents recount terror of shooting

04:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Zander Shelley, 15, was in a hallway when he heard gunshots and dashed into a classroom, according to his father, Kevin Shelley. Zander was grazed twice and hid in the classroom before texting his father at 7:36 a.m.

Kevin Shelley, who drives a garbage truck, told his boss he had to run. “It was the most scared I’ve been in my entire life,” he said.

Meanwhile, Amber Ross told CBC her daughter heard three gunshots come from the school’s cafeteria as she walked through a hallway that connects the cafeteria to the middle school.

“It could have been her,” she said through tears. Ms Ross said her daughter called her as the shots rung out, “I thought she was exaggerating,” she said. “I was like, ’no way, that couldn’t have happened, you guys just heard something.’ But no.

“She heard three gun shots that could have been pointed in her direction,” she added.

Rachael Kares, an 18-year-old senior, also described hearing gunshots. She was wrapping up jazz band practice when she and her bandmates heard what she described as four gunshots, spaced apart. “We all just jumped,” Kares said.

“My band teacher looked at us and yelled, ‘Run!’ So we ran.” Kares and many others from the school ran out past the football field, as she heard people yelling, “Get out! Get out!”

She said she was more concerned about getting home to her three-year-old son. “At that moment I didn’t care about anything except getting out because I had to get home with my son,” she said.

One mother, Bobbi Bushbaum, posted on Facebook that her son Corey was shot multiple times, suffering a fractured femur and wrist. Bushbaum said Corey was able to stumble to a nearby field after being wounded, and when she arrived, he was being helped toward an ambulance. In the post, Bushbaum said her son underwent one surgery, but still had bullets in his body and won’t be able to walk for weeks.

Bushbaum expressed thanks to those who helped pull Corey to safety, saying: “I would like them to know my son wouldn’t be here without them.”

07:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Iowa teen charged for posting alleged threat after Perry shooting

10:00 , Oliver O'Connell

West Des Moines Police arrested an 18-year-old for allegedly threatening to “shoot up the school??” on Thursday (4 January), shortly after the Perry school shooting that killed a sixth grader and injured five others.

CBS 2 Iowa reports court documents as saying Lakeeve Fort posted a Snapchat saying “Should I shoot up the school??” with a thumbs up or down.

Mr Fort told police he initially posted it a year ago in a private chat (on January 4, 2023) and then reposted it on Thursday as a memory. He added that a few of the members of the private chat group were alarmed and told him to delete it.

West Des Moines Police worked with the FBI to arrest him on Thursday night and charge him with threat of terrorism.

The police department released the following statement: “The West Des Moines Police Department would like to take this opportunity to remind anyone who engages in or considers making threatening comments of violence towards others in any fashion, will be held legally accountable for such actions. Keeping our community safe and secure is our top priority.

“We will work tirelessly to make sure our schools, businesses, and neighborhoods are protected from such threats and violent actions. The West Des Moines Police Department will have no tolerance for these kinds of threats or actions in our community.”

11-year-old killed in Iowa school shooting remembered as a joyful boy

11:30 , AP

Ahmir Jolliff dashed out of his home in Perry Thursday morning, eager to see his friends on the first day back to school after winter break.

It was vintage Ahmir — known as “Smiley” around his house — an 11-year-old whirlwind of cheerful activity. He kept a trunk of toys unlocked in the front yard so anyone could play with them, his mother said. He loved soccer, played the tuba and sang in choir. He had a habit of touching people on their shoulder and asking them how their day was.

Ahmir was killed Thursday before class even started, when a 17-year-old student at Perry High School opened fire in the cafeteria. The sixth-grader, who attended the middle school that’s connected to the high school, was shot three times, authorities said. Seven others, including the school’s principal, two other staff members and four students, were wounded before the shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Ahmir’s mother, Erica Jolliff, said on that morning, her son couldn’t wait to get to school and left minutes ahead of his mom and sister, who is in ninth-grade. Jolliff soon found herself scouring the streets for her children when authorities sped into town and blocked access to the complex after the shooting. She found her daughter unharmed. But she couldn’t find Ahmir.

“I just had a feeling he was still in that building,” she said.

Continue reading:

11-year-old killed in Iowa school shooting remembered as a joyful boy who loved soccer and singing

Iowa school shooter who killed one and injured five bullied ‘relentlessly’ since elementary school

13:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The Iowa school shooter who killed one sixth grader and injured five was bullied “relentlessly,” according to his former classmates.

Dylan Butler, 17, was named as the gunman who attacked Perry High School in Iowa on Thursday as students returned from their Christmas break.

His former classmates, sisters Yesenia Roeder and Khamya Hall, both 17, said that Butler had been bullied relentlessly since elementary school.

They added that the bullying had escalated recently, when his younger sister started getting picked on, too. Officials at the school didn’t intervene, they said, and that was “the last straw” for the shooter.

“He was hurting. He got tired. He got tired of the bullying. He got tired of the harassment,” Yesenia Roeder Hall said.

Was it a smart idea to shoot up the school? No. God, no,” she added.

Bulter was found dead at the scene by responding officers.

Merrick Garland says new gun law has blocked over 500 firearms from being bought by young people

14:00 , AP

More than 500 gun purchases have been blocked since a new gun law requiring stricter background checks for young people went into effect in 2022, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday, the day after a school shooting in Iowa left a sixth-grader dead.

The bipartisan law passed in June 2022 was the most sweeping gun legislation in decades and requires extra checks for any gun purchases by people under age 21. Those denied a gun purchase include a person convicted of rape, a suspect in an attempted murder case and someone who had been involuntarily committed for mental-health treatment, according to the Justice Department.

President Joe Biden applauded the news, calling it an important milestone.

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New gun law has blocked over 500 firearms from being bought by young people, attorney general says

Trump comments on Iowa school shooting: ‘We have to get over it’

15:00 , Oliver O'Connell

While campaigning in Iowa on Friday — one day after the Perry, Iowa high school shooting occurred — Donald Trump offered his “deepest sympathies” to those affected just before telling the crowd “we have to get over it.”

Speaking at Sioux Center on 5 January, the former president said: “To the entire community, we love you, we pray for you, and we ask God to heal and comfort really the whole state and the pain that you have. This is something that’s very unique to your state.”

“That’s just horrible, so surprising to see it here, but we have to get over it,” Mr Trump said. “We have to move forward.”

‘We have to get over it’: Trump comments on Iowa school shooting

Full story: What we know about the Iowa school shooting

16:00 , Martha McHardy

At least one person is dead and five others are injured after a 17-year-old student allegedly opened fire at Perry High School in Iowa.

Dylan Butler, 17, was named as the gunman, who opened fire on the school as students returned after their Christmas break on 4 January.

One sixth-grader was killed and five others were injured, including Perry High School principal Dan Marburger.

Mitch Mortvedt, the state investigation division’s assistant director, said one person was in critical condition but the injuries didn’t appear to be life-threatening. The other victims are in stable condition.

Butler, a former student at the school, was found dead on the scene. An Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation official said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The teenager’s motive for the attack is now under investigation.

Here’s all we know so far:

A teen gunman and sixth grader killed: What we know about the Iowa school shooting

17:00 , Oliver O'Connell

White House addresses ‘senseless’ Iowa school shooting: ‘When will enough be enough?’

11-year-old killed in Iowa school shooting remembered as a joyful boy

17:30 , AP

Ahmir Jolliff dashed out of his home in Perry Thursday morning, eager to see his friends on the first day back to school after winter break.

It was vintage Ahmir — known as “Smiley” around his house — an 11-year-old whirlwind of cheerful activity. He kept a trunk of toys unlocked in the front yard so anyone could play with them, his mother said. He loved soccer, played the tuba and sang in choir. He had a habit of touching people on their shoulder and asking them how their day was.

Ahmir was killed Thursday before class even started, when a 17-year-old student at Perry High School opened fire in the cafeteria. The sixth-grader, who attended the middle school that’s connected to the high school, was shot three times, authorities said. Seven others, including the school’s principal, two other staff members and four students, were wounded before the shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Ahmir’s mother, Erica Jolliff, said on that morning, her son couldn’t wait to get to school and left minutes ahead of his mom and sister, who is in ninth-grade. Jolliff soon found herself scouring the streets for her children when authorities sped into town and blocked access to the complex after the shooting. She found her daughter unharmed. But she couldn’t find Ahmir.

“I just had a feeling he was still in that building,” she said.

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11-year-old killed in Iowa school shooting remembered as a joyful boy who loved soccer and singing

‘It was the most scared I’ve been in my entire life’: Students and their parents recount terror of shooting

18:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Zander Shelley, 15, was in a hallway when he heard gunshots and dashed into a classroom, according to his father, Kevin Shelley. Zander was grazed twice and hid in the classroom before texting his father at 7:36 a.m.

Kevin Shelley, who drives a garbage truck, told his boss he had to run. “It was the most scared I’ve been in my entire life,” he said.

Meanwhile, Amber Ross told CBC her daughter heard three gunshots come from the school’s cafeteria as she walked through a hallway that connects the cafeteria to the middle school.

“It could have been her,” she said through tears. Ms Ross said her daughter called her as the shots rung out, “I thought she was exaggerating,” she said. “I was like, ’no way, that couldn’t have happened, you guys just heard something.’ But no.

“She heard three gun shots that could have been pointed in her direction,” she added.

Rachael Kares, an 18-year-old senior, also described hearing gunshots. She was wrapping up jazz band practice when she and her bandmates heard what she described as four gunshots, spaced apart. “We all just jumped,” Kares said.

“My band teacher looked at us and yelled, ‘Run!’ So we ran.” Kares and many others from the school ran out past the football field, as she heard people yelling, “Get out! Get out!”

She said she was more concerned about getting home to her three-year-old son. “At that moment I didn’t care about anything except getting out because I had to get home with my son,” she said.

One mother, Bobbi Bushbaum, posted on Facebook that her son Corey was shot multiple times, suffering a fractured femur and wrist. Bushbaum said Corey was able to stumble to a nearby field after being wounded, and when she arrived, he was being helped toward an ambulance. In the post, Bushbaum said her son underwent one surgery, but still had bullets in his body and won’t be able to walk for weeks.

Bushbaum expressed thanks to those who helped pull Corey to safety, saying: “I would like them to know my son wouldn’t be here without them.”

Principal critically injured protecting students

19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

An Iowa principal critically injured in a school shooting put himself in harm’s way so students could try to escape from a teenage shooter who opened fire in a cafeteria as students were gathering for breakfast before class, authorities said Friday.

Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger and six others, including two staff members and four teenage students, were injured in the Thursday morning shooting that left one sixth-grader dead. The 17-year-old student who opened fire also died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.

The state Department of Public Safety said Marburger, who is being treated in a Des Moines hospital, “acted selflessly and placed himself in harm’s way in an apparent effort to protect his students.”

Details also emerged about other victims. The student killed was identified as 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff, who was shot three times, authorities said. The mother of one teenager posted on Facebook that her son was helped to an ambulance after he was shot multiple times. Perry Superintendent Clark Wicks said several people helped others to safety.

Yellow crime tape still lined the campus Perry High School shares with the town’s middle school on Friday, and flowers and stuffed toys had cropped up in mini memorials. Wicks said classes will not resume in the district before next Friday at the earliest.

The news that seven students and staff suffered “wounds or injuries of varying degree” during the shooting was two more than authorities said Thursday afternoon. Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation spokesman Mitch Mortvedt said the number increased after investigators later learned about two more wounded faculty members. All seven are believed to have been either wounded or grazed by bullets, and suffered injuries ranging from significant to minor.

On Friday, Marburger and two students remained hospitalized.

In a Facebook post Thursday night, the principal’s daughter said he was in “surgery all day, and is currently stable.”

Claire Marburger called her father a “gentle giant” and said it wasn’t surprising that her father tried to protect his students.

“As I heard of a gunman, I instantly had a feeling my Dad would be a victim as he would put himself in harms way for the benefit of the kids and his staff,” his daughter wrote. “That’s just Dad.”

Mortvedt said Marburger, who has been principal since 1995, did some “pretty significant things” to protect others during the shooting, but didn’t release details. Wicks, the superintendent, said Marburger was a “hero” who intervened with Butler so students could escape. Wicks said other staff also acted heroically, including Middle School Assistant Principal Adam Jessen who “carried a wounded student into a safe area.”

What happened during the shooting?

20:00 , Martha McHardy

The suspected shooter opened fire in the school around 7.37am local time on 4 January, just as students were preparing to return for the first day of their second semester.

Within minutes law enforcement was notified of an active shooter situation in the high school, which is located approximately 30 miles from Des Moines. Upon arrival, police officers found students and faculty either sheltering in place or fleeing the school.

Mr Mortvedt, an assistant director with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said officers “quickly found what appeared to be the shooter with a self-inflicted gunshot wound”.

He added that the shooter was found holding a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun.

Authorities also found a “pretty rudimentary” improvised explosive device in the school but were able to render it safe.

One sixth grader was killed in the shooting, while five other people were injured, including the school’s principal.

Three gunshot victims were taken by ambulance to the Iowa Methodist Medical Centre in Des Moines, a spokesperson for its health system said.

Other patients were transported to a second hospital in Des Moines, a spokesperson for MercyOne Des Moines Medical Centre County Sheriff Adam Infante said Butler opened fire before the opening bell, when “very few students and faculty” were in the building.

Who is the suspect?

20:30 , Martha McHardy

Police identified 17-year-old Dylan Butler as the gunman who opened fire on Perry High School.

Butler was a former student at the school, authorities said.

The teenager, who authorities said acted alone, was described as a quiet person who had been relentlessly bullied for years by his former classmates.

They added that the bullying had escalated recently, when his younger sister started getting picked on, too. Officials at the school didn’t intervene, they said, and that was “the last straw” for the shooter.

“He was hurting. He got tired. He got tired of the bullying. He got tired of the harassment,” 17-year-old Yesenia Roeder Hall said.

State officials said the teenager’s motive for the attack is now under investigation, with authorities looking into “a number of social media posts” he made around the time of the shooting, The Des Moines Register reported.

Moments before the shooting, Butler allegedly posted a final chilling video on TikTok captioned: “Now we wait”.

In the video, Butler posed in a bathroom stall at the school with a blue duffle bag at his feet.

It was accompanied by the song “Stray Bullet” by the German band KMFDM, also used on the personal website of Eric Harris, one of the shooters involved in the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.

Investigators also found pictures on his social media accounts showing the 17-year-old posing with firearms.

A law enforcement official said federal and state investigators were interviewing Butler’s friends and analysing his online footprint, including posts on TikTok and Reddit.

What has been the reaction to the shooting?

21:00 , Martha McHardy

Following the shooting, local residents gathered for a vigil at Wiese Park in Perry and held candles as they listened to pastors from many faiths and heard a message of hope in both English and Spanish.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds released a statement describing the shooting as a “senseless tragedy” that has “shaken our entire state to the core”.

“Our hearts are heavy today and our prayers are with the Perry community,” she said.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also addressed the shooting at a press conference, calling it “tragic” and “senseless”.

“We’re just a couple of days into the new year and we’re talking about another shooting, and that is heart-wrenching and that is heart-breaking,” Ms Jean-Pierre told reporters. “When will enough be enough?”

Meanwhile, Vivek Ramaswamy, who is one of several Republican presidential candidates campaigning in Iowa ahead of the state’s Republican presidential caucuses later this month, also reacted to the shooting.

“We pray for the victims of the tragic high school shooting in Perry, Iowa,” Mr Ramaswamy said. “I happened to be there today right after it happened, we canceled our event and converted it to a prayer & open conversation. Strikingly, the first two people who spoke to us each said they ‘weren’t surprised’ & that it was just a matter of time before something like this happened. We have a psychological sickness at the core of our country right now.”

A White House official said President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting.

What does this mean for gun control in Iowa?

21:30 , Martha McHardy

As of July 2021, Iowa does not require a permit to purchase a handgun or carry a firearm in public, though it mandates a background check for a person buying a handgun without a permit.

In light of the shooting, the White House urged Congress to pass gun control legislation that would enact universal background checks, ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require safe storage of firearms and pass a national red flag law.

President Biden signed major gun safety legislation passed by Congress into law in 2022, the first legislation of its kind in 30 years.

The legislation included enhanced background checks for gun buyers between 18 and 21 years old and closed the “boyfriend” loophole, a gap in American gun legislation that allowed physically abusive ex-romantic partners and stalkers with previous convictions or restraining orders to access guns.

“It took 30 years to get that bipartisan legislation done, and the president obviously signed it. But we need more. It is not enough. That’s what we believe. It’s just not enough,” Ms Jean-Pierre said.

“Our students and teachers deserve to know that their schools are safe spaces and to focus on learning, not duck and cover drills. More must be done to keep our schools and communities safe.”