US school shooting: 17-yr-old kills sixth grader, wounds 5 others

A school shooting at Perry High School in the midwestern US state of Iowa on Thursday left one child dead and five other people injured, local officials said.

Perry is roughly 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines, Iowa's state capital, and is in Dallas County. 

What's the latest on the shooting? 

Mitch Mortvedt, the assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said the shooter was a 17-year-old. 

The shooter killed a sixth-grader at the school, with four other students injured. A school administrator was also wounded, Mortvedt said.

The gunfire occurred on the first day back from the annual winter break for students. Mortvedt said the suspect was wielding a pump-action shotgun and a handgun, with an improvised explosive device also discovered at the school.  

Local authorities were able to disable the device. 

During a earlier press statement, Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante said the school day hadn't begun when the shooting occurred, and there were "very few students and faculty in the building" during the violence.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is probing the shooting, with FBI agents also at the scene of the crime.

Iowa Republican politician 'beyond angry' after violence 

Zach Nunn, a Republican Congressman in the US House who represents Perry, said he was "beyond angry" after the shooting.

<

After today’s tragic attack at Perry High School, I’ve remained in close contact with first-responders who have indicated to me that the school is now secure. pic.twitter.com/F9CeE5tr63

— Congressman Zach Nunn (@ZachNunn) January 4, 2024 >

"My heart, and my commitment to holding those accountable, is with the community of Perry," Nunn said in a statement posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. "We have a duty to protect our children, families, and educators." 

On his website, Nunn calls himself a "firm believer" in the right to bear arms.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, meanwhile, said on social media that the "appalling violence" at Perry High School is "heartbreaking." 

In June 2022, Grassley said in a statement, "Schools should be the safest place for our kids," but he added he could not support a gun control measure because of "concerns about safeguarding constitutional due process."

<

Our hearts are broken by this senseless tragedy. Our prayers are with the students, teachers & families of the Perry Community.

I have been in contact with law enforcement agencies & am continuing to monitor the situation. I will be joining their press conference today.

— Gov. Kim Reynolds (@IAGovernor) January 4, 2024 >

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, also a Republican, said "our hearts are broken by this senseless tragedy." 

According to the US nonprofit group Gun Violence Archive, there have been three mass shootings so far this year in the US. The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as four or more people wounded or killed, not including the shooter.

School shootings have happened in the US before, including in May 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. The Robb Elementary School shooting there, carried out by an 18-year-old gunman, left 19 students and two teachers dead that year.