Perry Police Iowareported a shooting at the city’s high school this Thursday, and it is unknown if there were any injuries.
A woman who answered the phone at the Perry Police Department confirmed the shooting in Perry High Schoolbut did not provide further information.
A huge number of emergency vehicles surrounded the building that houses the city’s middle and high school.
Zander Shelley, 15, was in a hallway waiting to go to class when he heard gunshots and ran into a classroom, said his father, Kevin Shelley. Zander was grazed by two bullets and remained hidden in the living room before texting her father at 7:36 a.m.
Garbage truck driver Kevin Shelley told his boss he had to leave. “It’s the most scared I’ve ever been in my entire life,” he said.
Sergeant Alex Dinkla of the Iowa State Police said he currently has no information about the shooting, but will provide an update later. The authorities erected a press center near the school.
Agents from the FBI’s Omaha-Des Moines office are on scene to assist in the investigation, led by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations.
“There are a lot of speculative numbers,” said Perry Mayor Dirk Cavanaugh. “We do not yet have a confirmed number of people involved.”.
Erica Jolliff said her daughter, a ninth-grader, reported she was taken out of school at 7:45 a.m. Distraught, Jolliff was still looking for her son Amir, a sixth-grader, an hour later.
“I just want to know that he is safe and well but they won’t tell me anything,” Jolliff said.
The high school is part of the 1,785-student Perry Community School District. This Thursday was the first day back to school for students after the Christmas holidays.
The shooting occurred in the context of the Iowa caucuses and not far from where the Republican candidates were campaigning.
Phone messages left with the president and vice president of the Perry School Board, and an email message left with Superintendent Clark Wicks, were not immediately returned.
The Dallas County Emergency Management Agency said a new conference would be held later in the morning.
Perry is about 64,37 kilometers northwest of Des Moines.
