A heroic Iowa principal who risked his own life to help students flee during a deadly school shooting in early January has died, his family said.
Principal Dan Marburger died Sunday morning, Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home and Crematory confirmed, days after a shooter opened fire during breakfast in the Perry High School cafeteria on Jan. 4.
“Dan lost his battle. “He fought hard and gave us 10 days that we will cherish forever,” Marburger’s family wrote in a post on a GoFundMe page early Sunday morning.
Marburger reportedly confronted the shooter, 17-year-old Dylan Butler, and tried to distract and calm him so the students could flee to safety.
Butler opened fire, seriously wounding Marburger, wounding six other people and killing 11-year-old high school student Ahmir Jolliff with three shots.
The shooter, who was armed with a pump-action shotgun, a handgun and an explosive, then took his own life.
Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger passed away after being seriously injured in a shooting at his school on January 4, 2024. Facebook / Claire Marburger Police officers at the scene of the school shooting in Perry, Iowa. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File
Marburger was hailed as a hero after the shooting, with the Iowa Department of Safety saying he “acted selflessly and put himself in harm’s way in an apparent effort to protect his students.”
A spokesperson for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said Marburger did “some pretty important things” to protect his students, while Perry Superintendent Clark Wicks called him a “hero.”
His daughter, Claire, called her father a “gentle giant” in a heartbreaking post the night of the incident, and said she knew the moment she learned of the shooting that her father had fought to protect his students.
“When I heard about a gunman, I instantly had the feeling that my dad would be a victim, as he would put himself in danger for the benefit of the children and his staff,” Claire wrote. “That’s just dad.”
Marburger was shot while trying to distract the shooter and protect the students. Allison Ullmann/The Perry Chief / USA TODAY NETWORK Marburger had been principal at Perry High School since 1995. Facebook / Claire Marburger
Condolences flooded Perry’s Facebook page after news of Marburger’s death broke, with more than 200 people posting within an hour.
The principal had held his position at Perry High School since 1995.
Butler began filming shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 4, the first day back from winter break.
Ahmir Jolliff, 11, died in the shooting. Erica Jolliff via AP The shooter was identified as 17-year-old student Dylan Butler. Dylan Butler/Facebook Butler posted a photo on TikTok of himself in a school bathroom before the shooting. Tooktoomuch/Tiktok Students protesting for stricter gun control laws after the Perry High School shooting at the Iowa State Capitol building in Des Moines on January 8, 2024. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
The shooting occurred from the cafeteria, but the early hour meant there were fewer students and staff in the building, “which contributed to a good outcome in that regard,” according to Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante.
The motivation behind the shooting is still unclear, but classmates have said that Butler was bullied and that her younger sister had recently started being picked on as well.
With post cables
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Source: vtt.edu.vn