(Radio Iowa) – The director of the Iowa Department of Public Safety says the staff and students at Perry High School responded appropriately and heroically during the shooting in January as they found secure locked locations. In his first in-depth discussion of the fatal shooting investigation, Stephan Bayens pointed out other important actions from that day. “Assistant Principal Brad Snowgren is a hero. Assistant Principal Snowgren was the one who activated the school safety radio within that first ten seconds,” Bayens says. “I can tell you that he was actively avoiding gunfire and trying to make his way to the principal’s office to act, to hit the hit the button.” He says that allowed a quick response from police. Bayens also detailed the actions Principal Dan Marburger took to try and stop the shooter Dylan Butler.

He says Marburger said Butler’s names several times to try and get through to him. “And in part why that’s important is it’s not so much the empathy that Marburger showed towards the shooter, but every time he called that name out, the shooter heard his name, he looked and turned towards the sound,” he says, “and when he did that, it diverted his attention from who he was intending to shoot.” Bayens says that action saved lives. “And each time principal Marburger called that name out and diverted that attention, it bought those students another two seconds, another three seconds, another five seconds. And when we’re talking about school shootings, those sorts of seconds matter, and in this case, they did matter, and it made sure that those kids got out of that commons area around the corner and off to safety,” Bayens says.

Stephan Bayens. (RI photo)

Marburger was shot and died ten days later. Bayens says Perry police officer Micaela Zager was inside the school two minutes and 59 seconds after the emergency radio was activated. “Micaela Zager is a lion. She got out of her squad car with just a handgun, went through those doors. She did not wait for backup. She did not wait for a supervisor. She was through those doors and she was there to protect the kids inside,” he says. Bayens says that is exactly what law enforcement officers are expected to do, and the community of Perry should be extremely proud of Micaela Zager. Bayens says he watched body cam footage of what happened inside the high school when officers arrived. He says he could see in their eyes that they were fierce protectors looking to protect the kids.

“And when they finally determined that threat no longer existed, that the shooter take took his own life, the switch in those officers was immediate. They went from fierce protector to caretaker in a snap of a finger,” Bayens says. He says we should be incredibly proud of the police officers for their ability to do that and the compassion that they showed in the midst of horrible circumstances.

Bayens made his comments at a new conference Friday.