Police are investigating a shooting Thursday morning at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa, about 40 miles northwest of downtown Des Moines in Dallas County, which left five people injured.
Officials confirmed that there was one shooter who died as a result of the attack. The streets and surrounding area are closed while the investigation is being carried out.
ATF has responded to the Active Shooter at the Perry High School in Perry, Iowa. Please follow @IowaDPS for updates. pic.twitter.com/6AKSbXAxa4
— ATF Kansas City (@ATFKansasCity) January 4, 2024
Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante stated at a press conference from the scene that there will be more updates as the hours go by and the investigation progresses:
The community is safe ... We're just now working backwards, trying to figure out everything that happened and make notifications.
The attack took place on students' first day back from the Christmas vacation. Regarding this, the sheriff stated: "School didn’t start yet luckily, so there were very few students and faculty in the building, which I think contributed to a good outcome in that sense."
BREAKING: Shooting with multiple victims reported at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa pic.twitter.com/XuvFzpId50
— Intel Point Alert (@IntelPointAlert) January 4, 2024
An elementary school in a nearby area was closed immediately after the attack. All students remained in their classrooms until their parents arrived to pick them up.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy asked his followers on X, formerly Twitter, to pray for the community: "Pray for the community in Perry, Iowa this morning":
My piano teacher as a kid gave me a biography of Ronald Reagan & told me to read it. 20 years later, I’m playing one of her favorite pieces on the campaign trail in Iowa. pic.twitter.com/giwKIqubQm
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 3, 2024
