With Explosives Attached To Body, US Teen Open Fires At High School

As schools reopened after winter break, a 17-year-old high schooler at Perry High School in Iowa, US opened fire at 7:30 am, killing one student and injuring 5 others. He was arrested with a self-inflicted bullet wound and "rudimentary" explosive attached to his body. 

The investigators found that minutes before the teenager's attack, he posted a video on his TikTok and many pictures of him donning the guns before attacking the high school. The reason for his attack is said to be him getting "tired of being bullied" by his friends and sisters. 

Iowa High School Shooting

The first day of a new semester after the winter break turned out to be a horrific one for students at Perry High School in Iowa, a midwestern state in the US as one of their schoolmates open fired at the campus. 

The shooter identified as 17-year-old Dylan Butler walked into the school around 7:30 am armed with a pump-action shotgun, a small-calibre handgun, and a "rudimentary" explosive device attached to his body.

The victim of his shooting was reportedly a sixth grader who lost his life. In contrast, 5 others injured were not in critical condition and were out of danger as many students were barricaded in the offices and others ducked into classrooms and fled the premises after hearing the gunshots. 

A senior at the school, Butler posted a TikTok video minutes before his rampage in what seemed like a bathroom station in the school's washroom with the caption "Now we wait" as the song "Stray bullet" played in the background music. 

The German rock band KMFDM's song "Stray Bullet" has the lyrics "I'm your nightmare coming true, I am your worst enemy," and "Stray bullet, from the barrel of love" that played in Butler's TikTok video. 

Investigators found many other pictures and videos posted by Butler posing with firearms and arrested him during his shooting with a self-inflicted bullet wound on himself.

While the motive of Butler's intent for the mass shooting in his school was unclear, friends of Butler told The Press Association that Butler was a quiet person who had been bullied for years. One of his friends said, "He was hurting. He got tired. He got tired of the bullying. He got tired of the harassment. Was it a smart idea to shoot up the school? No. God, no."

Butler's sister also shared that he and his younger sister were constantly picked on and bullied and when parents complained about the same, the school authorities reacted by saying it was the "last straw" for him and his sister. 

Just five days into 2024, the US has already spectated three school shootings and incidents of gun violence. What's alarming is that the efforts to put a stop to such incidents are always met with political stiff which is a concerning issue.