Student Killed, Several Injured In Iowa School Shooting; Suspect Found Dead

A sixth-grade student was killed and five others sustained bullet injuries in a mass shooting at Perry High School in Iowa on Thursday.

Iowa: In another mass shooting incident in the United States, a sixth-grade student was killed and five others were wounded after a 17-year-old boy opened fire at a school in Iowa on Thursday (local time), Reuters reported, quoting law enforcement officials. The incident took place at Perry High School, where several people sustained gunshot injuries. The shooter was later identified as a student at the high school, and according to Mitch Mortved, the assistant director of the Iowa Department of Public Safety Division of Criminal Investigation, he was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot injury.

Iowa: In another mass shooting incident in the United States, a sixth-grade student was killed, and five others were wounded after a 17-year-old boy opened fire at a school in Iowa on Thursday (local time), Reuters reported, quoting law enforcement officials. The incident took place at Perry High School, where several people sustained gunshot injuries. The shooter was later identified as a student at the high school, and according to Mitch Mortved, the assistant director of the Iowa Department of Public Safety Division of Criminal Investigation, he was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot injury.

Notably, the school is part of the 1,785-student Perry Community School District and is about 64.37 km northwest of Des Moines. Yesterday was the first day back in school for students after the Christmas and New Year holidays. Cops rushed to the spot and secured the area.

“Our hearts are heavy today, and our prayers are with everyone in the Perry community. This senseless tragedy has shaken our entire state to its core. I want this community to know that every Iowan stands with you,” Governor Kim Reynolds said in a statement.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy planned a rally in Perry but it was later turned into a prayer gathering following the shooting incident. It is worth noting that the Iowa state will conduct the first statewide contest for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Second School Shooting Of 2024

This is the second school shooting of the year and one of four mass shootings that took place in the United States in 2024, as per CNN and Gun Violence Archive. The first school shooting happened on January 3 in Virginia’s Midlothian in which a person was injured.

Over 82 School Shootings In 2023

As many as 82 school shooting incidents took place in America in 2023, out of which 53 were reported on K-12 campuses and 30 at universities and colleges, CNN reported.

Perry is a small town with around 8,000 people. It is located on the outskirts of the state capital’s metropolitan area. The town is also known for its big pork-processing plant, and there are also one-story homes scattered among the trees. It is worth noting that the high school, where the shooting incident took place, and the middle school are close together and located in the east side of town.