Perry Principal Dan Marburger distracted the school shooter, police said

Perry High School principal Dan Marburger “saved lives” when he confronted the gunman during the Jan. 4 shooting at the school, Stephan Bayens, commissioner of the Iowa Department of Public Safety, said Friday.

Marburger was shot twice while confronting 17-year-old Dylan Butler, according to a summary of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation report findings released Thursday by Dallas County Prosecutor Jeannine Ritchie. Butler killed 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff, fatally wounded 56-year-old Marburger and wounded six others before killing himself.

Marburger died of his injuries ten days after the shooting.

In the days after the shooting, authorities called Marburger a hero who “acted selflessly and put himself in harm's way to protect his students.”

However, until Ritchie and Bayens released their comments this week, few details had been released about his actions during the shooting.

“He was an absolute hero,” Bayens said at a news conference Friday about the school shooting investigation.

How did Dan Marburger save lives in the Perry High School shooting?

According to Ritchie's report, Butler began the shooting at 7:35 a.m. in the common area of Perry High School. Within 24 seconds, he shot and killed Jolliff, a sixth-grader at Perry Middle School who was there for breakfast on the first day back from winter break, Ritchie wrote. According to Ritchie, Butler also shot Marburger and injured four other students.

Butler chose his victims randomly and “indiscriminately,” Ritchie wrote. Bayens said Marburger distracted Butler by saying, “Dylan, don’t do it. Dylan, let’s talk.”

“Every time he called out that name, the shooter heard his name, he looked and turned to the sound. And when he did that, it took his attention away from the person he was trying to shoot,” Bayens said.

Marburger retreated from his location after he was shot. Butler continued to move through the school, shooting at staff and into classrooms, Ritchie wrote, wounding two other staff members. According to Ritchie, 15 students and staff were placed in “safe and secure locations” throughout the school.

“Every time Principal Marburger called that name and diverted that attention, it gave those students another two seconds, another three seconds, another five seconds,” Bayens said. “When we talk about school shootings, seconds like this matter. In this case, they were important and they made sure that these children got out of that common area, went around the corner and got to safety.”

One minute and 40 seconds after the shooting began, Marburger was near an exit but again confronted Butler and urged him to stop, Ritchie wrote.

“Butler responded by shooting Principal Marburger,” Ritchie wrote. “This was the last shot that hit a victim. The headmaster Marburger was seriously injured and left the school on his own initiative.”

Butler shot himself about three minutes later.

More: Here is the official timeline of the deadly shooting at Perry High School

Mandy Myers, president of the Perry Education Association, said the report's findings confirm that Marburger acted heroically.

“Mr. Marburger acted like a hero and most likely saved countless lives,” Myers said in a statement. “We commend our first responders for their quick and heroic actions. We would also like to give special recognition to the many educators who courageously did what they do every day in the face of danger: caring for the students in their care, protecting them on site, and keeping and even transporting students to safety .”

Marburger, a beloved school principal and father, always planned to be a teacher

Marburger worked in the Perry Community School District for nearly 30 years, first as assistant principal in 1995 and then as principal in 1997. In 1995, he told the Perry principal, “I always knew I would be a teacher.”

“I had great teachers, the kind of teachers I wanted to be,” said Marburger, who taught social studies at East Central High for two years and then taught computer skills in the middle school.

He also taught physical education and was an athletic director and middle school administrator. Marburger said he particularly enjoyed teaching history and coaching.

Marburger became a popular figure in Perry. In interviews before his death, he said he was a mediocre student who played sports. But his students said he always saw the best in them.

Students and residents lined the streets in 8-degree temperatures on Jan. 16 to watch as Marburger's casket was transported from the hospital in Des Moines, where he died, to a funeral home in Perry.

No charges in Perry school shooting; The shooter “acted alone,” the summary says

“He was there to encourage you or any student no matter what they were doing. “He loved every student,” Carlos Monzon, a sophomore at Perry High School, said at the time. “Even if you did poorly, he was there to help you get better.”

His wife, Elizabeth Marburger, said at his funeral that he loved his family unconditionally.

“It’s the only kind of love Dan gave,” Elizabeth Marburger said in January. “Forty-three years ago, in eighth grade, I became the recipient of that love. It just doesn’t seem that long ago.”

Her daughter, Claire Marburger, was a standout basketball player who grew up playing Perry basketball. Elizabeth Marburger was known for scoring points at Jays' basketball games. Claire Marburger was the head coach of the Perry girls basketball team for three years.

At his funeral, his daughter called her father a “hero” and spoke of his love for the Iowa Hawkeyes, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago White Sox. Her father acted heroically, but at his funeral his daughter wanted to make it clear to people that he was just “dad” to her.

“Of all the sports and activities you can be a fan of, Dad was the biggest and most dedicated fan of all five of us children,” Claire Marburger said at his funeral.

Perry honors Principal Dan Marburger after his death

Perry named the gym after Marburger in May and announced it would write “Dan Marburger Court” on the basketball team's hardwood. The current high school opened in 2002 and the building meant the world to Dan Marburger from the moment it opened, his wife said this spring.

“There were just so many beautiful memories of that building that surpassed one terrible memory,” Elizabeth Marburger said at the time.

In July, Drake University posthumously awarded Marburger an Iowa Character Award, highlighting “Iowa’s role models.”

“Dan believed that all students deserve access to a quality education and supported every student who passed through his halls. He felt that everyone had value and purpose,” said a press release announcing the award. “Dan saved numerous lives during an active shooter event on January 4, 2024 at Perry High School. His selflessness that day is perhaps the best example of Dan’s character and his love for his students and the Perry community.”

Earlier this month, Hometown Heritage, a Perry-based archive of stories, photos and interviews about life in small-town America, added Marburger to its Wall of Witnesses, which honors influential Perry residents.

Philip Joens covers retail and real estate for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184, [email protected] or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

Perry Principal Dan Marburger distracted the school shooter, police said

ByVanessa

How did Dan Marburger save lives in the Perry High School shooting?

Marburger, a beloved school principal and father, always planned to be a teacher

Perry honors Principal Dan Marburger after his death

By Vanessa

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