Dan Marburger was seriously injured when a 17-year-old student opened fire in the cafeteria of his school in Perry on January 4. The students were just having breakfast there before classes started. An 11-year-old student and the gunman were killed and four other students and the principal were injured. Marburger was hit several times as he tried to distract the shooter by continuing to talk to him.
The day after the shooting, the Ministry of Public Security said that without Marburger’s heroic actions there would likely have been many more victims. “He put himself in harm’s way in an apparent effort to protect his students,” the statement said. Superintendent Clark Wicks previously said Marburger, principal since 1995, was a “hero” who jumped in front of his students so they could escape.
Iowa Republican Rep. Kim Reynolds offered her condolences to the director’s family. “Everyone is devastated by the news of Dan Marburger’s death,” she said in a statement on Sunday. “Dan ultimately gave his own life to save his students. He will forever be remembered for his selfless and heroic actions. May he rest in peace.” She ordered all flags to be flown at half-mast on Sunday.
The suspect, also a student at the school, was found dead shortly after the shooting. He would have killed himself.