PERRY, Iowa — A small Iowa city is reeling after multiple people were shot at a local high school on Thursday morning.
Law enforcement said at a press conference Thursday afternoon that a Perry High School student shot and killed a sixth-grader. The shooter, identified as 17-year-old Dylan Butler, also injured four other students and three school employees.
The shooting is making national headlines, putting a spotlight on the relatively quiet community. Still, Perry residents are no strangers to tragedy.
"We have tremendous support for the schools, for the students, from our community and a number of places," said Perry Superintendent Clark Wicks on Friday. "We have resilient people and we're going to provide a safe and inviting atmosphere like we have been each and every day up to this point. . . We're proud to be a Bluejay."
Read on to learn more about the city of Perry.
Where is Perry, Iowa?
The city of Perry is located just 40 minutes, or about 25 miles, northwest of Des Moines in central Iowa.
How big is Perry, Iowa?
Perry is home to approximately 8,000 people as of July 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Of those, nearly 23% are under the age 18, and more than 30% identify as Hispanic or Latino.
For comparison, the city of Des Moines has approximately 211,000 residents, while neighboring West Des Moines is home to nearly 71,000 residents.
How many students attend Perry High School?
Perry High School and Perry Middle School are combined on one campus, both located at 1200 18th St in Perry. Approximately 938 students attended the school in the 2022-23 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That's 365 students at the middle school and 573 at the high school.
Notably, not all students at Perry High School and Middle School are Perry residents. Students also come from even smaller towns nearby, including Dawson and Bouton.
What is Perry known for?
Perry is considered a relatively quiet town, especially in comparison to other larger central Iowa cities. However, this isn't the first tragedy the community has faced.
In March of 2023, two teenagers from Perry were killed in a car crash: Daisy and Walter Fuentes Gavidia. Their older sister, Edlyn, was injured in the crash. All three kids were students at Perry Middle and High School.
"It really tore us apart, it broke us," said the kids' pastor, David Sixtos-Villa, following the crash. "Two of them were dead on arrival, or they were dead on the scene and we have their big sister fighting for life."
In the aftermath of Thursday's school shooting, community members are channeling the sense of unity and strength they felt after the tragic crash less than a year ago.
"This community has been through tough times before and have rallied together," said Perry Police Chief Eric Vaughn. "I'm sure this time will be no different."