Multiple people were injured in a shooting at Perry, Iowa, High School Thursday morning shortly before classes were set to resume after winter break. File Photo by Simaah from Pixabay
Multiple people were injured in a shooting at Perry, Iowa, High School Thursday morning shortly before classes were set to resume after winter break.
Police received an alert of an active shooter inside the high school at about 7:37 a.m., Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante said during a press briefing. School was supposed to begin at 7:55 a.m. Advertisement
Infante said fewer students and faculty members were in the building at the time than would have been had classes begun. The first officer arrived on the scene about 7 minutes after the alert.
“It’s still unclear how many are inured or the extent of injuries,” Infante said. “There is no further danger to the public. We are working backwards trying to figure out everything that happened and make notifications.”
Infante said the shooter has been identified. He would not confirm the status of the shooter or whether they were a student at the school.
The shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to reports from NBC News, CNN and KCCI in Des Moines. At least three others, including two students and an administrator have been injured. At least two of the injured were transported to Des Moines-area hospitals. Advertisement
Another student was reportedly treated for injuries at home, KCCI reports.
Perry’s high school and middle school are connected. The city has a population of about 7,800.
Students are being reunified with their parents at the McCreary Community Building about a mile from the school. Infante said all students have been reunified.
Perry is located about 40 miles northwest of Des Moines in central Iowa. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded, including the Perry Police Department, Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, Polk County Sheriff’s Department, Des Moines Police Department and the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations.
At least two injured students were transported to a hospital in Des Moines. One student was treated at home after suffering an injury to their arm.
Infante said another press briefing will be held sometime in the afternoon.
LifeServe Blood Center, the organization that supplies all Des Moines-area hospitals, is asking for donations in relation to the shooting.
“Our hearts are with our neighbors in Perry impacted by the horrific situation that continues to develop this morning,” Stacy Sime, LifeServe CEO and president, said in a statement. “We’re encouraging community members to donate as soon as they can to help replenish our community blood supply.” Advertisement
