Dan Marburger id as Iowa school principal who tried talking down Perry H.S shooter, Dylan Butler, with 11 year old boy, Ahmir Jolliff identified as fatal victim.
Follow up reports have told of a seven people injured (up from five originally reported) along with the identities of the sixth grade boy shot dead and the ‘hero’ school principal injured during Thursday’s school shooting at Perry High School.
Ahmir Jolliff, 11, a 6th-grade Perry Middle School was killed by three gunshot wounds and his manner of death was ruled a homicide by the Iowa State Medical Examiner, officials said.
Perry High School principal Dan Marburger was among the three staff members and four students who were injured when a 17-year-old student opened fire.
Wounded Perry principal dies after talking down Iowa shooter
School principal talked down shooter
The gunman, identified as Dylan Butler, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said.
Marburger tried to calm down the high school senior and ‘distract him’ so students could flee, according to a Facebook post from his daughter, who said he was stable after getting shot.
The principal and two other students remain hospitalized, officials said. Marburger, who received multiple gunshot wounds, is in critical condition. The other victims have been treated and released, according to Iowa DPS.
‘For those of you who have reached out regarding Dad, I am sorry I haven’t gotten back to you. Please don’t take it personally it has just been a day for us, for Dad, and for the community,’ Marburger’s daughter, Claire Marburger, wrote. ‘Dad was in surgery all day, and is currently stable.’
Claire Marburger said that her father is known to be a ‘gentle giant’ and an ‘amazing Dad and just amazing person.’
Hero School principal put self in harm’s way
‘He does anything for us kids, including driving 7 hrs round trip on school nights to catch my college games in Decorah. Stayed long enough to slip me a $20 tell me I played well, give me a hug, and head out,’ she said.
When she heard the news that there was a shooting at the school, Claire Marburger said she ‘instantly had a feeling my Dad would be a victim as he would put himself in harms way for the benefit of the kids and his staff.’
‘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 added. ‘That’s just Dad.’
Perry Superintendent Clark Wicks on Friday echoed Claire Marburger’s sentiments, calling Marburger a ‘hero’ Friday.
‘I know that it helped — the way that he approached the situation and it saved some lives. He did some actions that also saved lives,’ Wicks said, adding that ‘we’re very proud of the way they handled it.’
Unrelenting bullying as school did nothing
It remained unclear if Butler’s victims were specifically targeted or shot at randomly.
The shooting happened around 7:37 a.m. before school had started. It was the first day back after winter break.
Not many students were on campus, but a breakfast program was taking place, said Mitch Mortvedt, the assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
One parent recalled how her daughter ran for her life as gunfire erupted, while a student described hiding in a small room with three other students and a counselor.
Officials have yet to say what motivated the teen gunman, but relatives of the gunman have claimed Butler, ‘erupting’ from the ‘last straw,’ following years of unrelenting bullying and school officials choosing not to take any action.
Giving insight and clues as to the state of mind of the teen shooter were posts on social media, since scrubbed, which detalied Butler’s struggle to transition as a transgender along with a macabre fascination for mass shooters, suicide and pop culture icons documenting nihilism and rebuke of society.
