Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 6 (Xinhua) -- A shooting incident occurred at a middle school in Dallas County, Iowa, on January 4, killing one student and injuring five people, including the principal. The gunman, a 17-year-old student at the school, shot himself after committing the crime.
The shooting took place at Perry Middle School, located in the town of Perry. The town of Perry has about 8,000 people. The 4th was the first day that Perry Middle School students returned to school after winter break. At the time of the shooting, classes had not yet begun.
Mitch Motwett, assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said the gunman, 17-year-old Dylan Butler, was armed with a shotgun and a small-caliber pistol. Investigators also found a "very rudimentary" improvised explosive device, which was determined not to pose a security threat.
Ava Augustus, a student, said she was waiting for her teacher in an office when the shots rang out. Unable to escape through a small window, she and others blocked the door to prepare for the situation, only to hear someone shouting "He (the gunman) has fallen, you can come out".
Augustus ran out, seeing broken glass and blood on the floor, and a girl who had been shot in the leg from the auditorium.
Perry Middle School posted a notice on social networking sites to suspend classes on the 5th and provide psychological counseling services to students, staff and people in need in the community.
Butler's motive for the murder is still under investigation.
The Associated Press, citing Butler's mother and two friends of the same age, reported that Butler usually spoke little and had been bullied on campus for a long time. His friend said that Butler had been bullied since elementary school and that the bullying had recently become worse and that he had not received help from the school.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said the "tragedy" that occurred at Perry Middle School was shocking. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called on Congress to pass legislation to address gun violence. She said President Joseph Biden was following up on the situation.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was originally scheduled to hold a rally about 2.5 kilometers away from Perry Middle School on the 4th. After the shooting, he announced the cancellation of the rally.
The first leg of the party primary for the 2024 U.S. presidential election is scheduled to be held in Iowa on the 15th. The state's primary election is known as a "weather vane" and has received great media attention.
Another Republican candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, criticized the Democratic administration on the 4th for failing to play a leading role in creating a "safe environment" on campuses, and at the same time claimed that if he is elected president, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which is related to gun management, will be abolished.
Guns are rampant in the United States, and gun-related violence has become the "norm" in American social life. According to statistics from the "Gun Violence Archive" website, there will be more than 650 mass shootings in the United States in 2023 that result in at least four casualties, including the gunman.
However, even with the severity of the gun epidemic, the Democratic and Republican parties are not in a hurry to solve the problem, but use the shooting incident to attack each other, resulting in a continued deadlock in the debate over gun control legislation. The Democratic Party insists that "the gun problem tears the soul of America", while the Republican Party shouts that "gun control will kill more people from shooting", and the gun control issue has become a political tool to attack opponents. (Chen Lixi)