A principal shot earlier this month in a school shooting in Perry, Iowa, has died from his injuries, the funeral home handling the services confirmed Sunday.
Principal Dan Marburger, 56, was shot Jan. 4 by a 17-year-old Perry High School student, who opened fire at the school early in the morning as students returned from winter break. The gunman, Dylan Butler, shot Marburger and five students, killing one of them, Ahmir Jolliff, a sixth-grade student. The attacker died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
Marburger died shortly before 8 a.m. Sunday at a hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, Scott A. Glover, director of Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home & Crematory, said in an email, noting that no other details about the death were available. The funeral home too retained services for Ahmir last week.
Mr. Marburger’s death was also confirmed on a website raising funds for his family, which noted that the principal, who had worked at the school since 1995, had “sustained significant injuries” on January 4, “putting himself in danger.” to guarantee as much as possible. “many students and staff were able to leave the building safely.”
The community of Perry, a city of 8,000 about 40 miles northwest of Des Moines, would be “forever touched by Mr. Marburger’s selflessness,” the organizer wrote, noting that he was also a husband, father and grandfather.
Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa said in a sentence on Sunday that flags on major government and public properties in the state would be lowered to half-staff in honor of Mr. Marburger, and would remain lowered until sunset on the day of his funeral. He encouraged individual businesses, schools and others to do the same.
“Our entire state is devastated by the news of Dan Marburger’s death,” Governor Reynolds said in the statement. “Dan bravely put himself in danger to protect the students from him and, ultimately, he gave his own life to save them,” he added. “He will always be remembered for his heroic and selfless actions.”
The shooting shook the small town, where neither the shooting victims nor the gunman were unknown. Mr. Marburger was known as a friendly and outgoing educator; Those who knew Mr. Butler described him as a bit strange, but not as someone they suspected of being violent.
In a statement published in social mediaThe Perry Community School District described the principal as a “tremendous leader” and said, “Our school community is heartbroken by Dan’s death.”