17-year-old kills 6th grader, injures 5 others in shooting at Iowa school

A 17-year-old gunman killed a 6th grader and injured five others in a shooting at a school in the US state of Iowa, law enforcement officials said Thursday.

The shooting took place around 7.37 a.m. local time (1337GMT) at Perry High School, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of downtown Des Moines in Dallas County.

The shooter was identified as Dylan Butler, a student at the school.

Butler was armed with a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun, said Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Assistant Director Mitch Mortvedt at a news conference.

Mortvedt said Butler "made a number of social media posts in and around the time of the shooting" and authorities are working to secure those pieces of evidence.

"All evidence suggests that Butler acted alone," he said.

The injured included four students and a school administrator who are being treated at area hospitals.

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the tragic school shooting, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said during her press briefing.

"Our hearts break for the families of the victims in yet another act of senseless gun violence. We cannot allow these tragedies to continue," she added.