By Livia Albeck-Ripka
A principal shot this month in a school shooting in Perry, Iowa, has died from his injuries, the funeral home handling the services confirmed Sunday.
The principal, Dan Marburger, 56, was shot Jan. 4 by a 17-year-old student at Perry High School. The student opened fire at the school in the early morning as students were returning from winter break. The gunman, Dylan Butler, shot Marburger and five students, killing one of them, Ahmir Jolliff, a sixth grader. The gunman died from a self-inflicted gunshot, police said.
Marburger died just before 8 a.m. Sunday at a hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, Scott Glover, director of Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home & Crematory, said in an email, noting that no other details of the death were available. The funeral home also held services for Ahmir last week.
Marburger’s death was also confirmed on a website raising funds for his family, which noted that the principal, who had served the school since 1995, had “endured significant injuries” Jan. 4, “putting himself in harm’s way to ensure as many students and staff could safely exit the building.”
The community of Perry, a town of 8,000 about 40 miles northwest of Des Moines, would be “forever be touched by the selflessness of Mr. Marburger,” the organizer wrote, noting that Marburger was also a husband, father and grandfather.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement Sunday that flags at major government and public properties in the state would be lowered to half-staff to honor Marburger, and would remain lowered until sunset on the day of his funeral. She encouraged individual businesses, schools and others to do the same.
“Our entire state is devastated by the news of Dan Marburger’s death,” Reynolds said in the statement. “Dan courageously put himself in harm’s way to protect his students, and ultimately gave his own life to save them. He will forever be remembered for his selfless and heroic actions.”
The shooting rocked the small city, where neither the victims of the shooting nor the gunman were strangers. Marburger was well-known as a friendly, outgoing educator; those who knew Butler described him as a little odd, but not someone they had suspected of being violent.
In a statement posted on social media, the Perry Community School District described Marburger as a “tremendous leader” and said, “Our school community is heartbroken by Dan’s death.”