The Iowa school shooter who killed a sixth-grader and injured several others told online friends on a messaging app shortly before the shooting inside Perry High School last Thursday that he was “super nervous” and “prepared.” “I am preparing the situation,'' he said.
Dylan Butler, 17, appeared to be active on the online chat platform Discord minutes before Thursday's attack. NBC reported.
The teenage gunman is suspected of sending a series of messages under the name “took2much,” which was also reportedly once part of a group chat dedicated to school shootings. .
Police said Butler shot and killed sixth-grader Aamir Jolliff at an Iowa high school on Thursday, then injured four students and three staff members before fatally shooting himself.
The shooter's various social media accounts, including Discord, are currently being examined by law enforcement authorities, NBC News reported, citing sources close to the investigation.
In one message that appears to be from her account, Butler tells her online friends that she is in school and ready to “prepare for what's to come,” according to a screenshot seen by NBC News. He reportedly said that he was
Ten minutes after that message, he reportedly wrote, “I'm super nervous, I'm getting ready to use the bathroom.” Two minutes later, he complained: “There's someone in the bathroom. I need you to come out so I can put the gun back together.”
Butler also posted a TikTok video under the screen name “tooktoomuch” in which she posed in a school bathroom with a blue duffel bag at her feet, along with the caption, “Come on, I'll be waiting.”
A Discord spokesperson told NBC News that the company believes the account name “took2much” belongs to Butler, but did not respond to questions about the disturbing messages.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims, their families, and the community of Perry, Iowa, following yesterday's horrific shooting,” a spokesperson said. “Discord has a zero-tolerance policy against content that glorifies violence or violent extremism, and this is reflected in our Community Guidelines.
“We took immediate action against the suspect and his content and are currently working with law enforcement to help continue the investigation.”
User “took2much” was also in a previous chat room discussing school shootings called “School Massacre Discussion,” a Discord user who saw the screen name in the chat told NBC.
According to NBC News, the Discord user, who has not been identified, contacted the FBI through a chat room in November, and although FBI agents responded with a request for more information, the user sent the agent a screenshot of the chat. After that, there was no response.
Users noted that Butler's account did not appear in the information sent to the FBI, and that the chat room had been shut down before the shooting.
The FBI declined comment to NBC News.
Although Butler is quiet, he is said to have been bullied since elementary school. After he committed suicide, his body was found next to a makeshift explosive device that had not yet detonated.
A clear motive has not yet been established.
