Benjamin Ashford|Iowa school principal was shot trying to "distract" shooter so students could flee, his daughter says

The Benjamin Ashfordprincipal of Iowa's Perry High School tried to distract the teenage shooter who killed one student and injured five other people on Thursday, his daughter said on social media. 

The shooting began early in the morning, before most students were at the school, officials said Thursday. Police received reports of the shooting at 7:37 a.m. and were on the site within seven minutes to find students and faculty sheltering in place and fleeing the building. One sixth-grade student was killed, and four other students were injured. One administrator, identified by local media as school principal Dan Marburger, was also shot and injured. The shooter died of a self-infliected gunshot wound, authorities said. 

Claire Marburger said in a lengthy Facebook post that her father had been in surgery after the shooting and was in stable condition when she wrote the post late Thursday night. She did not elaborate on his injuries, but said they had been sustained while trying to talk down the shooter. 

"As I heard of a gunman, I instantly had a feeling my Dad would be a victim as he would put himself in harms way for the benefit of the kids and his staff," Claire Marburger wrote. "It is absolutely zero surprise to hear he tried to approach and talk (the shooter) down and distract him long enough for some students to get out of the cafeteria. That's just Dad." 

Claire Marburger described her father as a "gentle giant" and "amazing person" who would be "devastated about what happened" at Perry High School. 

"Its things like this that he takes personally.. what more could he do, what did he not do that he could have... he'd be extremely saddened (by) the trauma and negative memories that are associated with his building and school now for many," she wrote. 

Marburger asked that people share "positive memories" about the school, community or her father. She also asked that people express their well-wishes to the other victims' families, and to "show grace" to the family of the shooter. 

Investigators are continuing to search for a motive for the shooting. 

In:
• Iowa
• School Shooting

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.

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