Gunman posted chilling reference to 'bullets' from Iowa school before shooting that killed sixth-grader

Warning: Contains discussion of gun violence

A 17-year-old student who opened fire on his school posted a chilling 'bullets' reference to social media beforehand.

Yesterday (4 January), at around 7:37am, police were called to Perry High School after a 17-year-old student walked into the facility and opened fire.

Police have confirmed one student - a sixth-grader - died and five other people were injured.

The shooter has since been identified as Dylan Butler - the student found at the scene having passed away by authorities with a 'self-inflicted gun wound'.

As part of their investigation, authorities have been looking into Butler's social media accounts and his posts prior to the shooting.

They discovered the student uploaded one post on TikTok just before the shooting occurred and according to officials, the post is reported as having been taken from inside Perry High School, from one of the school's bathrooms.

The photo included a song playing over the top - 'Stray Bullet' by German band KMFDM - and was captioned: "Now we wait."

Police also found pictures of Butler posing with firearms - the student found with a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun at the scene.

The state investigation division’s assistant director Mitch Mortvedt said in a news conference they also discovered a 'pretty rudimentary' improvised explosive device which was quickly made safe.

While no motive has yet been publicly confirmed, two students and their mother told The Associated Press Butler had been the subject of bullying for multiple years.

Fellow student and 17-year-old Yesenia Roeder 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."

Spokespeople confirmed three gunshot victims have been taken to Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines for treatment and the others were taken to MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center.

Mortvedt reports one person is in critical - but not likely life-threatening - condition and the other victims are stable.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds took to X - formerly known as Twitter - to release a statement.

It reads: "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."

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