At least 2 Dead, 5 Injured in Iowa School Shooting

0:00

/1861

1×

Facts

• A shooting at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa, on Thursday morning has left at least two dead — a sixth-grader and the shooter — and at least five injured, according to Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Assistant Director Mitch Mortvedt. The suspect, identified as 17-year-old student Dylan Butler, is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot.¹
• The shooting — reported at 7:37 a.m. local time — happened on the school's first day back from winter break, before the school day was set to start. Many students were outside or in the hallways when the shooting occurred, which police believe may have reduced the number of victims.¹
• Mortvedt further added that authorities had found 'an improvised explosive device' on the school premises, which was disarmed. Law enforcement has said there's no further danger to the community.²
• According to the Perry Community School Board and the Easton Valley School District, the school's principal, Dan Marburger, is one of the victims, though his condition hasn't been released.³
• The other four injured victims are reportedly students, who are being treated at local hospitals. According to Mortvedt, one of the five victims is in critical condition with non-life threatening injuries, while the others are currently stable.²
• The shooting comes days before the Iowa caucuses are set to begin, launching the start of the 2024 Republican presidential primary process on Jan. 15.¹

Sources: ¹NBC, ²CNN and ³ABC News.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by ABC News. It's horrific that just four days into the new year, yet another American school has been exposed to the horrors of gun violence. Children should not have to fear for their safety when they go off to class each day. Authorities cannot continue the same cycle of offering “thoughts and prayers” while ignoring America’s gun problem. Comprehensive gun control legislation is desperately needed.
• Republican narrative, as provided by The Des Moines Register. America's mental health epidemic has reached a breaking point, yet opportunistic politicians and pundits are weaponizing this incident for political gain. Rather than using this tragedy as fodder to fuel the anti-Second Amendment agenda, it should be used to revitalize the effort to enact state-level measures to treat the root causes of these horrific incidents.