The incident is the fourth mass shooting across the United States in 2024
A school shooting in Perry, Iowa Thursday morning left a middle school student dead and five other people wounded, while the shooter was found dead from a "self-inflicted" gunshot wound.
The incident began just after 7:30 a.m. at Perry High School, in the small town around 35 miles from Des Moines, as students were arriving to start the new semester.
Mitch Mortvedt, the assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, named the shooter as Dylan Butler, 17, in an update Thursday afternoon.
Butler was found deceased, in possession of two firearms, while officers also disabled an improvised explosive device. He made multiple social media posts in and around the time of the shooting, which investigators were seeking to retrieve.
Mortvedt said that a sixth grade student, from the nearby Perry Middle School, was killed. Four students were also injured, along with a school administrator. All were receiving treatment at nearby hospitals, he said.
It's thought the middle schooler may have been on the site as part of a breakfast program at the school.
Perry Police Department Chief Eric Vaughn became visibly emotional as he asked for prayers for the Perry community as it recovers from the tragedy.
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"I cannot forget to recognize the teachers, faculty and students involved, who acted bravely and heroically in this tragic situation," Vaughn said.
The victims' names were not released Thursday afternoon.
Shooting had shaken Iowa "to the core"
Speaking to reporters, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds paid tribute to the "heroic actions" of first responders attending the scene Thursday morning and offered the full support of the state as the community recovers.
"Our hearts are heavy today and our prayers are with the Perry community," Reynolds told reports. "This senseless tragedy has shaken our entire state to the core.
"I want this community to know that every Iowan stands with you."
Iowa Democrats Chair Rita Hart said she was "so sad and so sorry" for what Perry was going through.
"Our schools have always been places of hope and support, where students go to learn new skills and gain the experiences that lead them to future success," Hart said in the statement shared on X.
"Our 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."
Earlier in the day, Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said that he lent his support to Iowa, but added that gun safety measures were a local and state issue.
A White House spokesperson said that President Biden had been briefed on the shooting.
The shooting occurred on the first day back at school for Perry students after the holidays. It became the fourth mass shooting across the United States in 2024.