Shooting Thursday morning at a school in Iowa, in the northern United States, left one dead and five injured, local police announced at a press conference.
Authorities confirm the suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“This morning around 7:33 a.m. we had a report of an active shooter. A few moments after our arrival, we found several victims of the gunfire,” confirmed Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante at a press conference. The latter did not confirm the number of injuries or if there were any deaths.
AFP
The shooter, Dylan Butler, is believed to be a 17-year-old student at the same high school. He was armed with a pump-action shotgun, frequently called shotgun, and a small caliber handgun, police report.
They also confirm having found an “improvised explosive device” at the scene.
The scene is secure.
AFP
“There were very few students in the faculty at that time,” Infante said.
Before the press conference, NBC News quoted a spokesperson for MercyOne Hospital who confirmed that victims were heading there, without confirming the number of patients expected.
Gunshots heard
Lori Meinecke, a teacher at the school, told local Raccoon Valley Radio that she heard about “six or seven gunshots” around 7:40 a.m. and screams encouraging everyone to evacuate the place.
Police were called to the scene around the same time and classes were canceled throughout the region.
AFP
The evacuation was completed around 8:25 a.m. Officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were also dispatched to the scene.
According to local channel KCCI, parents reported that students were refused entry when they arrived at school. A mother told the same source that she was trying to find her boy and that her daughter was escorted from the scene around 7:45 a.m.
NBC News affiliate WHO reports that several police and even military vehicles were parked in front of the school building.
An ambulance was also seen.
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Perry is a town of about 8,000 located nearly 40 miles northwest of the capital Des Moines.
The school district has approximately 1,800 students in total. It was the first day back in class to start the second term.
