Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Officials have identified an 11-year-old boy who was killed in a school shooting in rural Iowa as Ahmir Jolliff, known as "Smiley" in his home. He was a whirlwind of activity, his mother said.
"He was so well-loved and he loved everyone," Erica Jolliff said of her son. "He's such an outgoing person."
Ahmir's mother said her son couldn't wait to get to school last Thursday morning, the first day of classes after winter break at Perry High School, a rural town about 40 miles northwest of Des Moines.
She said Ahmir kept a trunk of toys unlocked in the front yard so anyone could play with them. He loved soccer, played the tuba and sang in choir. He had a habit of touching people on their shoulder and asking them how their day was, she said of her son's cheerful, outgoing disposition.
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Ahmir was one of a few students and staff in the building at Perry High School before the day officially began, when 17-year old Dylan Butler opened fire in the cafeteria, which connects the high school to the middle school, then turned the gun on himself.
Butler had made social media posts shortly beforehand, including a dispatch on TikTok with a caption that read "now we wait." A "rudimentary" explosive device was also found on campus but determined to be non-lethal.
Ahmir, a sixth-grader who attended the middle school, was shot three times, police said. Seven other people, including the school Principal Dan Marburger, who is being lauded as a hero, was also shot.
Marburger "acted selflessly and placed himself in harm's way in an apparent effort to protect his students," the state Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
Students and staff helped each other in the time of crisis.
The mother of one teenager posted on Facebook that her son was helped to an ambulance after he was shot multiple times. Perry Superintendent Clark Wicks said several people helped others to safety.
"This is an extremely painful and difficult time for our entire school community, and in our grief, we will take time to remember," Wicks said.
Authorities said Butler had a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun when they found him.
Investigators are still working to get a "good grasp of who Dylan was," Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation spokesman Mitch Mortvedt said. The investigation will include Butler's background, along with the "environment of the school," he said, referring to reports that Butler may have been bullied.
Jolliff said she was troubled to hear that Butler may have been bullied at school and that teachers and school officials did nothing to protect him.
"We send our condolences to the family of Dylan; they're in our prayers and we're truly sorry for his loss, as well," Jolliff late Friday.
Perry is a town of 8,000 people on the edge of Des Moines, the state capital. The high school is part of the 1,785-student Perry Community School District.
This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Ahmir Jolliff's name.
