Motive still not announced on 17-year-old student who shot-up his school the day they got back from winter break

PERRY, IA - On the first day back to school after the new year, a teenager armed with a shotgun and handgun, killed a sixth grader and wounded five others as he shot his way through a high school in Iowa. The shooting took place shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 4th.

The suspect, identified by authorities as 17-year-old Dylan Butler, was a student at the high school and is believed to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger was among those wounded during the horrific shooting.

During a news conference, Mitch Mortvedt, the state investigation division's assistant director, said that Butler was armed with a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun. 

He said that investigators also found a "pretty rudimentary" improvised explosive device (IED) and rendered it safe. Federal and state investigators have interviewed Butler's friends and have analyzed his social media profiles, including his posts on TikTok and Reddit.

According to authorities, shortly before the shooting Butler posted a photo on TikTok while in a bathroom inside of Perry High School. That photo had a caption that read, "now we wait" and the song "Stray Bullet" by the German band KMFDM playing. 

The official, who spoke to the Associated Press (AP) on condition of anonymity, said that investigators also found other photos of Butler posing with firearms on his social media platforms. 

Sisters Yesenia Roeder and Khamya Hall, both the same age as Butler, said that he was bullied relentlessly since they all were in elementary school, and that it escalated recently when his younger sister started getting picked on, too. Yesenia said, "He was hurting. He got tired. He got tired of the bullying. He got tired of the harassment. Was it a smart idea to shoot up the school? No. God, no."

The student who was fatally shot by Butler was 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff. He was shot three times. Six others, including two staff members and four teenage students, suffered injuries ranging from significant to minor. Marburger reportedly put himself in harms way in an effort to protect the students. 

Perry Superintendent Clark Wicks said that Marburger was a "hero" who intervened with Butler so that kids could escape to safety. Wicks said that other staff also acted heroically, including middle school Assistant Principle Adam Jessen who "carried a wounded student into a safe area."

When questioned about Butler being bullied, Wicks would not discuss it, but went on to defend the way his district "responds" to bullying. He said, "We take every bullying situation seriously and our goal is to always have that safe and inviting atmosphere." 

Jolliff, the boy who was killed, loved playing soccer. He played the tuba and sang in the school choir. His mother, Erica Jolliff, said, "He was so well-loved and he loved everyone. He's such an outgoing person." On Thursday, January 11th, hundreds of people gathered to say goodbye to the vibrant 11-year-old. 

In the wake of the tragic shooting, Perry Mayor Dirk Cavanaugh said that his community would get through the painful experience together. He said, "We are a small town, but we will pull together in a big way to get through this." Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said in a statement, "This senseless tragedy has shaken our entire state to its core."

According to CBS News, days after the shooting, the parents of Butler told reporters that they had "no inkling" that he intended to cause the "horrible violence he was about to inflict" had he not been stopped. Butler's parents said that they are cooperating with investigators as they try to "provide answers" to the question of why their son "committed this senseless crime."

In their statement, Jack and Erin Butler said, "As the minutes and hours have passed since the horrors our son Dylan inflicted on the victims, the Perry School and the community, we have been trying to make sense out of the senseless. We are simply devastated and our grief for the deceased, his family, the wounded and their families is immeasurable."

As of Monday, January 8th, there have been no additional details released by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. An FBI spokesperson said that their agency did not receive any tips or information concerning Dylan Butler through its National Threat Operations Center before the deadly shooting.