The teenage shooter who opened fire at Perry High School in Iowa on Jan. 4 had likely shown “warning signs” prior to the attack and had a fascination with school shootings, according to state officials.
Six people, including four students, were injured in the shooting, according to the report. The 17-year-old shooter, Dylan Butler, took his own life shortly after carrying the attack.
The report stated that Butler acted alone and did not specifically target his victims but rather chose them “based on immediate availability” during the attack.
The report also found that Butler had likely exhibited warning signs that went unrecognized or unreported. Evidence indicated that his actions were “driven by a desire to commit suicide with the hostile intent of taking others with him,” it stated.
According to the report, Butler entered the school through the main entrance with a shotgun, revolver, knife, and an improvised explosive device. He concealed his weapons and went into a student restroom.
While in the restroom, Butler posted on social media and began livestreaming his actions. He emerged with a shotgun about 20 minutes later and began firing at students and staff, the report stated.
Stephan Bayens, commissioner of the Iowa Public Safety Department, said evidence suggested that Butler was suicidal with a homicidal intention and had a fascination with school shootings.
“We recovered writings from the shooter, who indicated just that he desired to be famous. He desired to commit suicide. He desired to take others with him. He told us this much, and that is the best evidence that I have of his intentions,” he said.
The commissioner said that while there is no proof anybody knew of the shooter’s “specific intentions on January 4,” others were aware of his thoughts and behavior.
“I can say that others were aware of the shooter’s general interest in school shootings, others were aware of his fascination for violence, others were aware of his concerning behaviors,” Bayens said.
“Those concerns, along with a number of other warning signs, were unreported or were otherwise unrecognized,” he stated, adding that the shooter had “broad behavioral issues” and there were long-term concerns about his mental health.
The source of the Remington 870 shotgun used by Butler has not been identified. Bayens said the shotgun had “likely came from a large gun collection within the extended family” and was taken without the owner’s knowledge.
Bayens said the revolver found with Butler had not been used during the attack. He noted that the revolver was legally purchased by the shooter’s father in 2020 but was left unsecured at the family home.
The commissioner praised Marburger for his heroic actions in attempting to engage with the shooter by repeatedly calling him by name “after being shot more than once.”
“And in part why that’s important is not so much the empathy that Marburger showed toward the shooter, but every time he called that name out, the shooter heard his name, he looked and turned towards the sound, and when he did that, it diverted his attention from who he was intending to shoot,” he said.
Bayens said Marburger’s action provided time for students to escape to a safe area, calling him “an absolute hero.” The 56-year-old principal died from his injuries 10 days after the shooting.
