Insights into the school shooting in Perry, Iowa. What was found:

Dallas County District Attorney Jeannine Ritchie will not file criminal charges in the Jan. 4 shooting at Perry High School that left a student, the principal and the shooter dead.

A summarized version of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation's findings that Ritchie released Thursday said that 17-year-old Dylan Butler acted alone in the school shooting, “out of a desire to commit suicide, with the hostile environment.” Intention to take others with you.”

Armed with a pump-action shotgun, a revolver, a knife and an improvised explosive device, Butler shot and killed 11-year-old sixth-grader Ahmir Jolliff. mortally wounded Principal Dan Marburger, 56; and injured four other students and two other school employees before taking his own life.

Ritchie released the summary after outcry from lawmakers, school staff and parents when she initially said last month she had no plans to release the results.

Ritchie said in the report that Butler “acted alone in planning and executing the events” and no one “knowingly provided him with essential support or resources before or during the event that day.”

She said investigators cannot determine where Butler got the shotgun from which he fired 23 shots, although it is believed to have been stolen from outside his home. The revolver he was carrying was “unsecured” in his home and “accessible to Butler,” Ritchie said.

“The evidence confirms that this was not a spontaneous act, but rather the result of extensive preparation and planning,” the report said. “The evidence suggests that the victims of the shooting appear to have been selected based on their immediate availability and were not specifically targeted. The investigation determined that Butler likely exhibited warning signs that were unrecognized or unreported.”

According to the summary, some details about the school's security measures and Butler's plans and methods were withheld from the report to protect victims. Ritchie said she reviewed DCI evidence, including school security footage, police body cameras, a livestream of Butler, his social media and more than 180 interviews with family, friends and witnesses.

“The review of the facts has led this office to conclude that Butler acted alone in planning and executing the events of January 4, 2024,” Ritchie wrote. “As lead prosecutor, it is my duty to hold individuals accountable for their actions when the evidence leads me there. However, in this case, the evidence does not support state-level charges against anyone.”

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

Bobbi Bushbaum, whose son, then a Perry sophomore, suffered multiple gunshot wounds, said she was disappointed that no charges were filed. Bushbaum was among Perry community members who pushed for more information about the shooting to be released.

“I am appalled that there are no charges regarding an unsecured weapon in the home after numerous previous interactions and reports regarding this boy,” Bushbaum said. The report mentioned previous school interactions with Butler.

She said she hopes the report pushes the Perry School Board to take a deeper look at new school safety measures.

Mandy Myers, president of the Perry Education Association, said in a statement that the report provided “little new information” but hoped it “can bring peace and healing to our community.”

She expressed her appreciation that the report was “finally” published.

“It reaffirmed what staff, students and the entire state of Iowa already knew: Mr. Marburger acted like a hero and most likely saved countless lives,” Myers said. “…We would also like to give special recognition to the many educators who bravely did what they do every day in the face of danger: caring for the students in their care, sheltering them in place, and keeping students safe accompany and even carry. “

Perry School Board President Linda Andorf did not respond to requests for comment, and board Vice President Eddie Diaz declined to comment. The superintendent said the district will release a statement Friday.

Here are some insights from the summary report:

Perry High staff had “frequent and documented” interactions with Dylan Butler

The Dallas County attorney's findings provide one of the first glimpses into Butler's interactions with school staff before the Jan. 4 shooting. She said Perry High School staff had “frequent and documented” interactions with Butler.

The results did not shed further light on what those “interactions” were or whether Butler received any services from the school district.

“There were no reports to school staff about Butler’s intentions that day,” Ritchie wrote. “Butler has not been the subject of any prior law enforcement investigations, threat assessments or intelligence information.”

Butler was in the toilet for 20 minutes before he shot

Butler entered the school through the main entrance at 7:12 a.m. with the weapons, the summary said. He walked through the common area and down a hallway to a student bathroom. According to the findings, he remained there for more than 20 minutes.

“The weapons were concealed and hidden from view of surveillance cameras, students and staff,” the findings said. “As the school began to fill with students and staff, he posted on social media and began livestreaming his actions.”

More: “Glass everywhere”, “blood on the floor”: a shooter raged in the Iowa high school

Butler fired 23 shots from a shotgun in less than five minutes

The shooting lasted four minutes and 21 seconds before Butler ended his life. According to the findings, he fired 23 shots during this time, all with a Remington 870 shotgun.

The shooting happened about 20 minutes before school started, and students from the adjacent middle school were at the high school for a breakfast program. At 7:35 a.m., more than 50 students and staff were in the common area when Butler began shooting. Within 24 seconds, he shot Jolliff, shot Marburger and wounded four other students. At 7:39 a.m. Butler ended his life, Ritchie wrote.

More than 15 students and staff sought “shelter in safe locations throughout the school,” she wrote.

Perry police officer Micaela Zagar entered the school two minutes and 59 seconds after the first shots were fired, responding to a school emergency alert system that Assistant Principal Brad Snowgren had activated.

Authorities previously said it took “less than seven minutes” for police to enter the school.

Director Dan Marburger attempted to disarm Butler twice

Marburger died on January 14, 10 days after the shooting. Authorities at the time called him a hero who “acted selflessly and put himself in danger to protect his students.” However, little has been published about what Marburger did to stop Butler.

Marburger was among the first to be shot when Butler began firing.

As Butler walked through the community, Marburger called Butler's name and begged him to stop shooting, the report said.

Butler continued firing and Marburger “withdrew from the immediate area.” According to the findings, Butler moved through the school, shooting at staff members, through empty hallways and into secured classrooms. One minute and 45 seconds after the shooting began, Marburger was near an exit. Instead of fleeing, Marburger confronted Butler again and “urged him to stop,” the findings say.

Butler then shot Marburger, the summary says.

“The seriously injured headmaster Marburger left the school at his own request,” it says in the report.

The source of the shotgun used in the murders is unknown, the summary says

According to the findings, Butler committed the attack with the pump-action shotgun. However, Ritchie wrote that the weapon's origin remains unconfirmed and “may never be confirmed despite extensive investigative efforts.”

She also said that the IED he had was “rudimentary in assembly and would have caused minimal damage if detonated.”

In response to the Perry shooting, Republican lawmakers introduced and passed House File 2586 during the 2024 legislative session, which allows school officials to arm staff and grant those employees qualified immunity – similar to a police officer. The law also requires school districts to employ a school resource officer but allows school boards to opt out.

Prior to 2024, schools already had the right to arm employees under Iowa Code 724.4B. School officials had difficulty implementing this law because insurers refused to provide coverage.

Read the full summary report on the Perry High School shooting

Register reporter Phillip Sitter contributed to this report.

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 more information.)

Insights into the school shooting in Perry, Iowa. What was found:

ByVanessa

Perry High staff had “frequent and documented” interactions with Dylan Butler

Butler was in the toilet for 20 minutes before he shot

Butler fired 23 shots from a shotgun in less than five minutes

Director Dan Marburger attempted to disarm Butler twice

The source of the shotgun used in the murders is unknown, the summary says

Read the full summary report on the Perry High School shooting

By Vanessa

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