"Something is deeply wrong": Perry High School shooter suspect Dylan Butler's TikTok post before shooting spree sparks mental illness debate online 

On January 4, 2024, Dylan Butler, a 17-year-old senior of a local rural Iowa high school called Perry High School, opened fire inside his school premises, claiming the life of a sixth grader and injuring five others, including the principal. However, the teenager killed himself shortly after.

Trigger warning: This article mentions a violent school shooting and mental health issues. Readers' discretion is advised.

According to local law enforcement reports to the New York Post, Dylan Butler acted of his own volition and had no accomplices. Reports also suggest that his violent acts may have been a result of enduring bullying since elementary school, and he may have been suffering from mental health issues.

Before firing at the students and school authorities, Dylan Butler reportedly made a TikTok video posing inside a bathroom stall at the school with a blue duffle bag, in which he was probably carrying his firearm. The post had the text "Now we wait" written on it. Cops have found other social media posts of the teenager posing with firearms as well.

The revelation has sparked a mental illness debate online. In this regard, CEO of X Elon Musk commented on @EndWokeness' tweet, saying "something is deeply wrong" and similar incidents have been happening too often.

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"The results can be devastating": Internet discusses teenage mental health issues in the aftermath of Dylan Butler's identification

On Thursday, 7.37 am local time, Dylan Butler opened fire inside the Perry High School in rural Iowa, 40 miles northwest of Des Moines. He killed a grade six student and wounded five others, including the school Principal, Dan Marburger (holding the post since 1995), using his small-caliber handgun. Later, he committed suicide using the same weapon.

People who knew Dylan Butler described him as a quiet teenager who silently endured relentless bullying since elementary school. While the exact motive remains undisclosed, his family’s testimony to the Associated Press reveals that he recently “snapped” after his youngest sister began getting bullied too.

His mother, Alita, and sisters Yesenia Roeder and Khamya Hall (both 17 years of age) told the news outlet that the school authorities not taking any disciplinary action against the bullies, even after repeated complaints, was “the last straw” for Butler.

“He was hurting. He got tired. He got tired of the bullying. He got tired of the harassment. Was it a smart idea to shoot up the school? No. God, no,” Yesenia added.

What is interesting is that before shooting, Dylan Butler took to his TikTok (@tooktoomuch, as per MSN) and posted a cryptic video. In the since-removed footage just moments before the incident, he was seen taking a selfie clip inside a bathroom stall, carrying a blue duffle bag with the caption “now we wait” written at the top.

The song Stray Bullet by rock band KMFDM, containing lyrics like “I’m your nightmare coming true, I am your worst enemy” and “stray bullet, from the barrel of love,” was attached to the video. For those uninitiated, the same song was infamously found on the personal website of Eric Harris, one of the gunmen in the Columbine High School massacre in 1999.

So far, investigators have discovered other pictures of Dylan Butler posing with different firearms from his social media accounts posted last month. It remains unclear whether they belonged to him. However, his crime seems premeditated.

Internet sleuths also claim that Dylan was a trans activist. In the wake of this, many speculate that he was transitioning and the medicines impacted his mental health. Here are some of the remarks in this regard from @EndWokeness' post:

Following the shooting, Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante told during a press conference that Dylan Butler’s violent actions took place on the first day back in class after the winter break. He added how Butler began firing his gun before the morning bell when “very few students and faculty” were on the premises.

Police also found two other weapons on the high school senior, a pump-action shotgun and an undetonated makeshift explosive device, and believe he planned to kill many others, which, according to them, was “pretty rudimentary.” As per the latest reports by the New York Post, four of the five survivors were out of danger, while one was critical. However, the situation was not life-endangering.

Notably, as of July 2021, the state of Iowa lifted the use of permits to buy a firearm or carry one in public. However, it is mandatory to run a background check.