A 17-year-old student at Perry High School in Iowa, United States of America, fatally shot a sixth grader and wounded four other students and a school administrator Thursday before apparently killing himself, officials said.
Armed with a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun, Butler took the lives of one student and himself, leaving four others injured.
The wounded individuals, along with the school administrator, are expected to survive, though the identity of the deceased student has not been disclosed.
Governor Kim Reynolds expressed her condolences, labeling the event a “senseless tragedy” that has deeply affected Perry and the entire state.
She extended her prayers to the grieving community. As of now, authorities have not disclosed a motive, and an ongoing investigation is underway.
Responding officers discovered the victims with gunshot wounds, and Butler was deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Mitch Mortvedt, the assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
Moreover, law enforcement found an “improvised explosive device,” which was safely neutralized by the state fire marshal and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
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Evidence suggests that Butler acted alone, and he had made several social media posts in and around the time of the shooting. The tragic incident occurred before the commencement of the school day, with only a few students on campus as a breakfast program was taking place.