Iowa high school principal dies 10 days after shielding students from mass shooting

An Iowa high school principal who “gave the ultimate sacrifice” as he protected his students during a mass shooting earlier this month has succumbed to the injuries he sustained during the rampage.

Dan Marburger, the principal at Perry High School, died ten days after the 4 January attack at the school that also left an 11-year-old child dead and six others injured. The shooter, a 17-year-old student, died by suicide after he indiscriminately opened fire in the cafeteria as students gathered for breakfast.

“Dan Marburger gave the ultimate sacrifice,” the description of a GoFundMe page created by Marburger’s family read. “He fought hard and gave us 10 days that we will treasure forever.”

The Department of Public Safety said in an earlier statement that Marburger “acted selflessly and placed himself in harm’s way in an apparent effort to protect his students.”

Authorities identified the shooter as Dylan Butler, 17, but provided no information about a possible motive. Two friends and their mother who spoke with The Associated Press said Butler was a quiet person who had been bullied for years.

Authorities said Butler had a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun. Mitch Mortvedt, the state investigation division’s assistant director, said during a news conference that authorities also found a “pretty rudimentary” improvised explosive device and rendered it safe.

The suspect’s motive was being investigated and authorities were looking into “a number of social media posts” he made around the time of the shooting, Mortvedt added.

This is a developing story … check again for updates.

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