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US school shooting leaves behind 'multiple gunshot victims'

Thursday, 04 January 2024 7:20 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 04 January 2024 7:58 PM ]

Perry High School in Perry, Iowa. (Photo by New York Times)

A shooting at a high school in Perry, Iowa has left "multiple gunshot victims," on the first day back in classes after their annual winter break, but without confirming if anyone had been killed, according to local authorities.

"We're still unclear exactly how many are injured or what the extent of those are, but we're working on that right now. There is no further danger to the public," Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante told reporters after the shooting at the Perry High School.

The shooting which started on Thursday at 7:37 am, has left at least one person dead, according to broadcaster ABC, but did not specify if it was the shooter.

According to an eyewitness, Ava Augustus, a senior at Perry High School, told WHO 13 News that she saw a student shot in the leg as well as “glass everywhere” and “blood on the floor.”

The school day hadn't started at the time of the shooting, Infante said, and there were "very few students and faculty in the building, which I think contributed to a good outcome, in that sense."

Infante further added that the shooter was identified, without specifying the suspect’s identity or whether they were dead or captured.

A report by the Gun Violence Archives has revealed that there have been more than 630 mass shootings across the United States so far this year, which accounts for almost two a day on average.

Meanwhile, in 2021, more Americans (48,830 people) died of gun-related injuries in 2021 than in any other year on record, according to stats presented by the Pew Research Center, while, gun deaths among America's children rose 50% from 2019 to 2021.

More than 42,000 killed in US gun violence in 2023

Gun violence in the United States takes the lives of more than 42,000 people in 2023.

Over the years, the US has topped the list of “civilian guns per capita”, as there are more guns in the US than people, amounting to 120 guns for every 100 Americans.

Medical professionals have expressed concerns regarding the prevalence and growth of gun violence in the US, even comparing gun violence in the US to a disease or epidemic.

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