Police in Perry, Iowa has reported a shooting on Thursday at city’s high school. According to police, the school hadn't started when the shots were fired and only a very few students and teachers were in the building at the time of the shooting.
The high school is part of the 1,785-student Perry Community School District. Thursday was the first day back in school for students following the holiday break. Reportedly, the incident occurred in the morning and the police had "secured" the area as of 9:30 am local time.
While talking to the reporters, the Dallas County Sheriff said the incident took place around 7:37 local police. A police officer arrived within seven minutes and located "multiple gunshot victims", Sheriff Adam Infante says. He did not specify whether any deaths were reported on the campus.
He also added that the shooter has been identified. However, he did not share more information on the suspect.
The sheriff urged the public not to panic and they are investigating the incident.
Agents from the FBI and ATF responded to the scene, and the US attorney general has been briefed, a US Justice Department spokesperson said.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was scheduled to hold a rally in Perry but in the wake of the incident, he had changed the event.
Perry is about 40 miles (64.37 kilometres) northwest of Des Moines. Iowa is set to hold the first statewide contest for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in 11 days.
