Dan Marburger, Perry High School principal, among 6 victims shot

PERRY, Iowa — The community of Perry, Iowa is grieving following a shooting at Perry High School early Thursday morning. 

A sixth grader died in the shooting, and five other victims — four students and one administrator — were taken to area hospitals for treatment, according to Iowa law enforcement.

ABC News identified the administrator injured in the shooting as Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger, who has been leading the school for nearly three decades. 

Marburger’s daughter, Claire Marburger, told Local 5 the family only knows that he is “stable”, but “no where near out of the woods, he’ll be in and out of surgeries for the next couple days and weeks.” 

Claire shared on Facebook about her father’s leadership at the school, saying that she’d heard he approached Butler during the shooting.

“As I heard of a gunman, I instantly had a feeling my Dad would be a victim as he would put himself in harms way for the benefit of the kids and his staff. It is absolutely zero surprise to hear he tried to approach and talk Dylan down and distract him long enough for some students to get out of the cafeteria. That’s just Dad,” the post reads.

Outside of work, Claire said Marburger’s grandchildren and family are the best part of his life.

Easton Valley School District, where Marburger attended school, also shared about him on Facebook. The post reads in part:

“Sadly, we have also received information that one of our former East Central graduates, Dan Marburger, was one of the victims injured in the incident … Our hearts break to hear of this kind of violence that affects so many people, including many in our community. Our thoughts will also be with the entire Perry community as they grieve through this traumatic event.”

Local 5 will update this story as more information becomes available. Download the We Are Iowa app or subscribe to Local 5’s “5 Things to Know” email newsletter for the latest.