PERRY, IA — Several individuals were shot inside a small-town Iowa high school early Thursday, causing students preparing for their first classes after winter break to seek shelter in classrooms, barricade themselves, or flee, before the suspected shooter was discovered deceased.
Authorities in Perry, Iowa, did not specify the exact number of individuals injured in the shooting, but hospitals confirmed receiving at least three patients.
According to a law enforcement official speaking anonymously to reporters, the suspected shooter died from what investigators believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Among the victims, one is identified as a school administrator.
Perry, with approximately 8,000 residents, lies about 40 miles northwest of Des Moines, near the state capital's metropolitan area. The town hosts a significant pork-processing plant, with low-slung, single-story homes scattered among winter-stripped trees. The high school and middle school are situated on the town's east edge.
bird eye shot of Perry High
(Credit: The Daily Mail)
people embrace outside of school
(Credit: The Daily Mail)
SWAT team on campus
(Credit: The Daily Mail)
Three gunshot victims were transported by ambulance to Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, confirmed a health system spokesperson. Some other patients were taken to another Des Moines hospital, according to a MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center representative, declining to disclose the number or conditions of patients.
In Washington, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland received a briefing on the incident. FBI agents from the Omaha-Des Moines office are aiding the investigation led by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
The shooting, occurring against the backdrop of Iowa's first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, prompted GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to cancel a campaign event in Perry. He instead opted for a prayer and discussion session with local residents.
Calls for stricter gun laws emerged swiftly after the incident, as is often the case following mass shootings across the U.S. However, resistance to such measures persists, particularly among many Republicans in rural states like Iowa.
The high school involved is part of the Perry Community School District, comprising 1,785 students. The town boasts a more diverse demographic than the state average, with 31% Hispanic residents compared to less than 7% statewide. Census figures also reveal that nearly 19% of the town's populace was born outside the U.S.
Police Outside of the high school where the shooting occured.
mother and her children leaving safely
(Credit: The Daily Mail)
mother crying over the tragedy
(Credit: The Daily Mail)
Law enforcement responded to an active shooter report at 7:37 a.m. Thursday, arriving seven minutes later. Emergency vehicles surrounded the middle and high school.
The Perry School Sign
(Credit: The Daily Mail)
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Comments
At least that ghoulish ardent fan of weapons capable of mass murder, Wayne LaPierre, is retiring from the NRA... a once worthwhile organization he helped turn into a gang of slavish gun-worshipping thugs. With any luck whatsoever the lawsuit he faces will crush him into a state of abject penury.
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