The heroic actions of the school principal in Perry, Iowa, may have saved lives during last Thursday morning’s shooting. The principal’s daughter revealed that her parent distracted the shooter, providing a crucial time for students to escape.
Perry High School principal Dan Marburger, one of the five people shot during the incident, was reported to be in stable condition late Thursday, according to a Facebook post by his daughter Claire. The other four individuals who were shot were students.
Perry High School principal Dan Marburger engaged in conversation with the identified shooter, 17-year-old Dylan Butler, effectively distracting him and providing students with an opportunity to escape, as shared by Claire on Thursday night.
“It is absolutely zero surprise to hear he tried to approach and talk Dylan down and distract him long enough for some students to get out of the cafeteria,” she wrote. “That’s just Dad.”
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Later, Butler succumbed to a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the police. The investigation, which includes examining social media posts made by the shooter before the incident, is ongoing.
During the first day of classes for the spring semester, after the school’s return from winter break, Butler killed a sixth-grader, injured five others, and left an undetonated improvised explosive device at Perry High School. The tragic incident unfolded about 40 miles northwest of Des Moines.
The shooter made several posts “in and around the time of the shooting,” which included a photo posted on TikTok in a bathroom before the incident began, as revealed by police. In response to the tragic event, Perry residents held vigils in churches, a factory, and a park on Thursday evening.
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The shooting in Perry is among the first high-profile school shootings of 2024, occurring amid a concerning trend of school shootings that has persisted over the last two years and has reached an all-time high.
In a Facebook post, Claire stated that her father, Perry High School principal Dan Marburger, is recovering after surgery. She expressed condolences for the victims and the shooter who died during the incident on Thursday.
Describing her father as a selfless man who provided a sense of calm, she anticipated that he likely placed himself between the gunman and students during the incident. “I instantly had a feeling my Dad would be a victim as he would put himself in harm’s way for the benefit of the kids and his staff,” Claire wrote on Facebook.
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Authorities are examining various social media posts made on Thursday morning by the shooter, identified as a student at the school. One post included a selfie taken in a bathroom stall, featuring a blue duffle bag near his feet, with the caption stating, “Now we wait.”
The TikTok post, removed along with Dylan Butler’s social media accounts, featured the song “Stray Bullet” by the rock group KMFDM. The song gained notoriety as it was used on the personal website of one of the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. The Iowa shooter had amassed over 250 followers before his account was closed.
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