(NationRise.com) – A shooter gunned down multiple high school students in suburban Des Moines on January 4th. Various reports claim 17-year-old Dylan Butler shot several students at Perry High School just as they were returning from their winter break. He then apparently shot and killed himself.
Authorities confirmed that he was a student at the school. One sixth-grade student, 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff, was killed, and five others were harmed. One of them was the school’s principal, Dan Marburger. He also graduated from the school as a student.
Officials have not confirmed details about a possible motive for the shooting. However, other students and parents told reporters that he had been the victim of bullying for several years. They reported that the bullying had recently intensified after his little sister was also being victimized. They believe that’s what pushed him to commit the horrific act.
Butler was armed with both a pistol and shotgun. He also had what authorities believed to be a simple explosive device.
Investigators have since discovered several threats that Butler made on social media. One TikTok post shows Butler standing in a bathroom as a song entitled “Stray Bullet” plays in the background. A caption reading “Now we wait” covered the photo. He also used a racial slur in saying that he wished another student would leave the bathroom and mentioned “gearing up” for the shooting.
One Discord user said that he warned authorities about posts coming from a user named “took2much” (the same username Butler used on TikTok) a couple of months ago. The informant was contacted by the FBI, but never received a second response. The server on which the threat was posted was no longer active when the shooting occurred.
A candlelight vigil was hosted at a nearby park that evening. It had been used to reunite families with victims earlier that day. The school closed Friday and said via Facebook that it would be offering counseling services.
Authorities have said that there is no longer a danger posed at the school.
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