The gunman who opened fire at Perry High School last week appears to have posted on the social media site Discord about “getting ready” just before the attack.
Dylan Butler, 17, killed sixth-grader Ahmir Jolliff, 11, and injured four other students and three staff members before turning the gun on himself last Thursday.
Police are currently investigating Butler's use of social media and technology platforms, including Discord, a source said NBC News.
Butler posted a video to TikTok from an account with the username “tooktoomuch” in the minutes leading up to the shooting. A Discord account with a similar name, 'took2much', also appears to belong to the shooter. A Discord spokesperson told the outlet they believe the account belonged to Butler.
The Discord account reportedly posted about being in school and ready “for what's to come.”
Dylan Butler, 17, (pictured) killed sixth-grader Ahmir Jolliff, 11, and injured four other students and three staff members before turning the gun on himself last Thursday
Law enforcement officer at the scene of the Perry High School shooting last week
Hours before the shooting, the gunman posted a TikTok posing in what appeared to be the school's restroom, with the caption, “Now we wait.”
The video was accompanied by the song “Stray Bullet” by KMFDM, the same song used on the website of one of the shooters of the infamous Columbine High School massacre.
The Discord account also appeared to post about the shooting moments before Butler opened fire.
“I'm damn nervous, I'm getting the bathroom ready,” the user wrote, according to screenshots seen by the outlet.
“There's a n—– in the bathroom, I need him to leave so I can mount my weapons,” the report wrote two minutes later.
“The user was also part of a chat room dedicated to discussing school shootings called 'School Massacres Discussion,'” a Discord user who saw the user in the chat told NBC.
The Discord user said they reported the chat room to the FBI in November, after which an FBI agent reached out via email asking for more information.
Law enforcement officers work the scene of a shooting at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa, on Thursday
Dallas County Sherriff Adam Infante confirmed at a news conference that police officers arrived at the high school seven minutes after the initial call
A woman walks out of the McCreary Community Building, the current reunion site where parents can find their children after the Perry School shooting
Children hold hands with a man wearing an Iowa sweatshirt as they are reunited after the shooting
The user emailed the FBI agent screenshots from the server, but didn't hear back. The chat room was closed before the shooting.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the victims, their families and the community in Perry, Iowa, following yesterday's horrific shooting,” a Discord spokesperson said.
“Discord has a zero-tolerance policy toward content that glorifies violence and violent extremism, which is reflected in our Community Guidelines.
Adding: “We took immediate action against the suspect and its contents, and are currently working with law enforcement authorities to assist them in their ongoing investigation.”
Discord has previously been used by mass shooters, including the convicted shooter in the 2022 Buffalo shooting.
Butler attended Perry High School and was armed with a shotgun and a pump-action pistol – both of which are illegal in Iowa for a 17-year-old.
He also had a rudimentary explosive device, which failed to detonate and was later recovered by firefighters.
The 17-year-old died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound when first responders arrived at the school shortly after 7:40 a.m. The ordeal led to a mass evacuation of 1,785 students on their first day of classes after winter break. Police have not yet provided a possible motive.
One of the five injured was the school's principal, Dan Marburger. The other four injured were students.