The Iowa principal who protected students during a high school shooting has died

DES MOINES, Iowa — An Iowa principal who put himself in hurt’s method to shield college students throughout a faculty taking pictures earlier this month died Sunday, a funeral dwelling confirmed.

Caldwell Parrish Funeral Dwelling & Crematory confirmed the loss of life of Perry Excessive College Principal Dan Marburger after the household introduced it on a GoFundMe web page.

Marburger was critically injured throughout the Jan. 4 assault, which started within the faculty’s cafeteria as college students had been gathering for breakfast earlier than class. An 11-year-old center faculty pupil was killed within the taking pictures, and 6 different folks had been injured. The 17-year-old pupil who opened fireplace additionally died of an obvious self-inflicted gunshot.

The day after the taking pictures, the state Division of Public Security mentioned Marburger “acted selflessly and positioned himself in hurt’s manner in an obvious effort to guard his college students.”

Information of Marburger’s loss of life was first posted on a GoFundMe web page for his household. The publish, by Marburger’s spouse, Elizabeth, mentioned he died at about 8 a.m. Sunday, and mentioned: “Dan misplaced his battle. He fought exhausting and gave us 10 days that we are going to treasure endlessly.”

The information that Marburger died triggered a flood of help on the Perry Fb web page with almost 200 folks posting condolences inside the first hour after it was posted.

In a Fb publish on the night time of the taking pictures, the principal’s daughter, Claire Marburger, known as her father a “mild big” and mentioned it wasn’t stunning that her father tried to guard his college students.

“As I heard of a gunman, I immediately had a sense my Dad could be a sufferer as he would put himself in harms manner for the good thing about the children and his employees,” his daughter wrote. “That is simply Dad.”

Marburger had been principal since 1995.

Iowa Division of Legal Investigation spokesman Mitch Mortvedt mentioned after the taking pictures that Marburger did some “fairly important issues” to guard others, however did not launch particulars. Perry Superintendent Clark Wicks mentioned Marburger was a “hero” who intervened with the teenage gunman so college students might escape.

An 11-year-old sixth grader, Ahmir Jolliff, was killed within the taking pictures. Authorities mentioned he was shot thrice.

The taking pictures occurred simply after 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 4, shortly earlier than courses had been set to start on the primary day again after winter break. Mortvedt mentioned the taking pictures began within the cafeteria, the place college students from a number of grades had been consuming breakfast, then spilled outdoors the cafeteria however was contained to the north finish of the varsity.

Authorities mentioned the suspect, recognized as Dylan Butler, had a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun. Mortvedt instructed The Related Press that authorities additionally discovered a “fairly rudimentary” improvised explosive system in Butler’s belongings, and that specialists suggested “it was one thing that they wanted to disarm.” It was rendered protected.