An Iowa school principal talked down the school shooter and tried to distract him so students could escape, his daughter says

Local residents pray during a candlelight vigil on January 4, 2024, following the shooting at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa.

Charlie Neibergall/AP

• Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger was among those injured in the school shooting in Iowa.
• Marburger's daughter said he tried to distract the gunman to allow other students to escape.
• As her father recovers, Claire Marburger called for compassion toward the deceased gunman's family.

After a school shooting in Iowa left two people dead and seven injured, the high school principal's daughter is commending her father's brave actions to distract the gunman.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety confirmed the shooter was a 17-year-old who fatally shot eleven-year-old Ahmir Jolliff and injured seven other people before turning a gun on himself on January 4.

Among the injured was Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger, who the department said suffered multiple gunshot wounds and went to the hospital in critical condition.

Marburger's daughter, Claire, said on Facebook on January 5 that her father had undergone surgery and was stable. She said her dad would be "devastated about Dylan" Butler, who state authorities confirmed was the deceased shooter.

Claire Marburger added that she was unsurprised that her father was a victim in the shooting because she knew he would put himself in danger "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," Claire Marburger's post read.

Friday's statement from the state DPS appeared to corroborate Claire Marburger's comments, though details remained limited amid the active investigation.

"The investigation thus far confirms Principal Marburger acted selflessly and placed himself in harm's way in an apparent effort to protect his students," the department's statement read.

Claire Marburger added that her father would joke that "his ugly face is popping up too much online, as he is getting attention as he is a deserving hero."

"Please reach out to the other victim's families," she said in the post. "Show grace to the Butler family, as we are not our kid's mistakes and actions or our parent's mistakes and actions. Remember this is something Dylan's family has to live with too, as well as losing their child."

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