The police in Perry, Iowa, said there were multiple victims in a school shooting early Thursday morning just as students were arriving back to school after their winter break.
Sheriff Adam Infante said at a news conference on Thursday that there was no further threat to the public. He would not say if the shooter was dead or captured. He said that the shooter had been identified but did not reveal the identity.
Sheriff Infante said that a radio sensor activation went off for an active shooter just after 7:30 a.m. and emergency responders arrived at Perry High School, about 40 miles northwest of Des Moines, just seven minutes later.
“School didn’t start yet luckily, so there were very few students and faculty in the building, which I think contributed to a good outcome in that sense,” he said.
Jody Kurth told KCCI News, a local CBS affiliate, that her stepson, a student at Perry High School, was hurt in the shooting, and Ms. Kurth described the morning attack as “an absolute nightmare.” Her daughter texted her to let her know about the shooter, she said, calling it “one of the worst moments of my entire life.”
Both children were safe, she told KCCI.
At a community center in Perry, a bus dropped off students from the elementary school, where parents waited for their children to arrive. One of the first parents was Amanda Woods, 34, a mother of two young sons.
“At first I wasn’t sure which school it was at,” said Ms. Woods, who had been listening to the police scanner to get more information of the shooting. “I was freaking out.”
The Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy kicked off his first campaign event of the day in Perry amid reports of the shooting. The candidate led a prayer circle as attendees expressed fear, but little surprise.
“God please help our country,” said Mr. Ramaswamy as he addressed the prayer event and shook hands with everyone, calling it a “somber day.”
Mr. Ramaswamy was in Iowa ahead of the state’s Republican caucuses, scheduled for Jan. 15.
Shelbie Lehman came into the event with her partner after picking up her first grade daughter from elementary school after hearing about the shooting at the high school.
“It’s very scary having them walk your kid out with a gun and officer, and having seven, eight cops there,” Ms. Lehman told Mr. Ramaswamy.
Ms. Lehman said it was hard to explain to her daughter why there were so many police and why she was picked up from school. She said she planned to try explain things to her daughter later today as best she could.
This is a developing story.
Molly Longman and Leah McBride Mensching contributed reporting.