Multiple people were shot, one fatally, Thursday morning after a gunman opened fire at Perry High School — around 40 miles northwest of Des Moines, Iowa — before classes started on students’ first day back from the holiday break, according to local authorities.
Authorities said Thursday afternoon that a 6th-grade student has been confirmed dead and four other students along with a school administrator were wounded in the shooting. The shooter, identified as a 17-year-old student at the school, died from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante said the first report on an active shooter inside the school came in at 7:37 a.m., and officers were on the scene within seven minutes. The officers located “multiple gunshot victims” and identified the shooter, but Infante could not provide further details about the number of victims or their current condition. In a press conference immediately following the shooting, the sheriff confirmed that there was “no further danger to the public.”
“The community is safe. We’re just now backwards trying to figure out everything that happened and make notifications,” Infante said.
Kevin Shelley, the father of 15-year-old student Zander, said his son was grazed by two bullets before hiding in a classroom and texting his dad, KCCI reported.
Infante added that “luckily” there were few students and faculty in the building when the shooter opened fire since classes had not started yet. The sheriff said he believes all students have been reunified with their parents. Authorities will release more information “later in the afternoon” as they continue their investigation.
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