Iowa community recalls 11-year-old boy with ‘vibrant soul’ killed in school shooting

Hundreds of people said goodbye Thursday to a vibrant 11-year-old boy known as “Smiley,” a week after he was shot to death at his Iowa school by an older student who also wounded seven other children and staff members before killing himself.

Residents of the small community of Perry packed a Catholic church and spilled over to a nearby church where the funeral for Ahmir Jolliff was televised. They recalled a boy with a “spirit bigger than his 11-year-old body could contain,” as the Rev. Andrea Brownlee put it.

“He had a vibrant soul. His catching smile and his endless energy are what most people have shared with me when sharing their thoughts about Ahmir,” said Brownlee, of First Christian Church. “He was always on the move. He refused to stay in one place, seeking adventure and excitement in every aspect of his life.”

A 17-year-old student armed with a shotgun and handgun killed Ahmir before classes began Jan. 4, the first day back from winter break. The high school principal, two other staff members and four students were wounded and the shooter, Dylan Butler, later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

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School in the city of 8,000 people northwest of Des Moines has been canceled since the shooting, but elementary students will go back to class next Thursday and middle school students will return next Friday. District officials have said the high school won’t reopen until repairs are completed, but the shooting started in the cafeteria the middle school shares with the high school, so the repairs must be done there before the middle school can reopen.

Speaking near a blonde wood coffin topped with a wreath of flowers, Brownlee described Ahmir as a person who hemmed his family together. Ahmir, a sixth-grader known by his family as Smiley, was someone who stood up for his friends and wouldn’t back down from bullies, Brownlee said.

“Ahmir was not just a bright light or a drink of joy, he was a firm defender of justice,” Brownlee said. “He stood up against bullies, supporting those who needed a voice and ensuring that kindness always prevailed.”

In an earlier interview, his mother, Erica Jolliff, described her son as an outgoing boy who seemed to know everyone in Perry.

“He was so well-loved and he loved everyone,” Jolliff said.

In a statement several days after the shooting, Butler’s parents said they never had a hint beforehand about the “horrible violence” their son was planning and said they were cooperating with investigators to understand “this senseless crime.”

“We are simply devastated and our grief for the deceased, his family, the wounded and their families is immeasurable,” Jack and Erin Butler said in the statement.