Jack and Erin Butler of Perry, the parents of the teenager who last Thursday fatally shot 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff and wounded seven other people at Perry High School, including Principal Dan Marburger, issued the following public statement Monday through the offices of their attorney, Mark Powell.
As the minutes and hours have passed since the horrors our son Dylan inflicted on the victims, the Perry School and the community, we have been trying to make sense out of the senseless. We are simply devastated and our grief for the deceased, his family, the wounded and their families is immeasurable.
When we dropped off our son for school on Jan. 4, we had no inkling he intended the horrible violence he was about to inflict. On the way to school, Dylan had been discussing with us of future plans, and it felt like he was ready to get back to school after Christmas vacation and the start of a new semester. Dylan’s sister, our daughter, was in the school at the time of the shooting. We simply do not understand how this could happen and why Dylan chose to do what he did.
Perry is our home and beloved community. We would never wish the harm and pain that Dylan’s actions caused on anyone, and we could not have imagined that Dylan would carry out such a heinous act. Our family has to mourn and bury our son and live with this terrible legacy.
We cannot repay the grace we have been shown in public and private. We are helping authorities and will continue to help to provide answers to the question of why our son committed this senseless crime. Through God’s grace we hope the answers can be found and that those answers will prevent other young people from harming others.
At this time, our family will have no further comment.
Dear Jack and Erin, I just wanted to say that I’m so so sorry about what you’re going through, and I also pray for you and your family, too! Jack, I’ve known you for a very long time, and I can’t imagine the hurt and pain your wife and you are feeling at this point! I haven’t been in Perry for many years now, but it’s still my home, and I still consider everyone friends and family! I hope you guys will find some peace and hope in this healing process! You’re in my thoughts and prayers, and please remember that a lot of us Perry people are behind you and are here for you! May you have lots of healing strength at this time! God bless you both and your family! 💙💯🙏💯🐦