Why Iowa caucus sites were moved out of Perry High School after shooting that killed two

Raymond Knapp, Dallas County GOP committee member, decided that the caucus would take place at Perry Elementary School instead

Published on: Jan 16, 2024, 12:14:45 IST

By Sumanti Sen

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Perry in Iowa is still struggling to deal with the tragic deaths of a student and the principal of Perry High School, who died after a gunman opened fire on January 4. Before the Iowa caucus started, Dallas County Republicans moved caucus sites out of Perry High School. Raymond Knapp, Dallas County GOP committee member, decided that the caucus would take place at Perry Elementary School instead, out of respect for the community.

A medical examiner enters the school as police respond to a school shooting at the Perry Middle School and High School complex in Perry, Iowa, U.S., January 4, 2024 (REUTERS/Cheney Orr) (REUTERS)

"There's a lot of people and it's hard to imagine how many feelings it brings up of people who didn't even have children in the school at the time," said Knapp, according to ABC.

"In fact, I myself am going to put in a plank in for the platform committee to somehow provide financing for schools to take and train teachers ... to be able to carry, and not allow them to say this is a gun-free area," he said. "And so I have always felt that we need to make sure that our teachers have equal power to protect the children that they dearly love and care about. And that's the thing Dan stood between the shooter and kids because that was what he was trying to do. But all he had was to give his life."

Perry High School principal Dan Marburger died ten days after being shot during the tragedy. The shooting also killed Ahmir Jolliff, 11, and injured many others. The shooter, Dylan Butler, 17, then turned the gun on himself.

Before Marburger’s death, the Uvalde Foundation For Kids, a national nonprofit organisation formed in response to the Uvalde massacre in May 2022, had announced that it had started an emergency fund to assist with his medical bills because of his heroic actions. Marburger reportedly died while trying to save his students.

Butler reportedly had plans to murder many others, but the shooting took place before the school day had started, and therefore there were not many students and staff in the building.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sumanti Sen
Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More

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