In Dallas, a high school experienced a shooting that left four students injured, after a 17-year-old suspect found access to the building through an unsecured door. The charged individual headed directly down a hallway, confronting a group of students before opening fire. The arrest warrant revealed he appeared to take an almost point-blank shot at one individual.
The alleged perpetrator is currently detained in Dallas County jail, facing charges of aggravated assault related to the mass shooting. Authorities apprehended him several hours after the incident, which occurred shortly after 1 p.m. on Tuesday at Wilmer-Hutchins High School.
Among the injured, four male students were swiftly transported to nearby hospitals. By Wednesday, two of these individuals had been discharged while the remaining two continued under medical observation but were expected to recover, according to the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department. Three of the victims, aged between 15 and 18, sustained gunshot wounds. The fourth, whose age wasn’t specified, experienced a “musculoskeletal injury” to the lower part of the body, as stated by Dallas Fire-Rescue.
A fifth person, a 14-year-old girl, was also taken to the hospital, suffering from anxiety-related symptoms though she had not sustained any gunshot injuries.
The incident prompted a swift response, drawing a significant presence from both police and other law enforcement to the school, which has an enrollment of approximately 1,000 students. Surveillance video from the school showed another student allowing the suspect through an unsecured door, as detailed in the arrest warrant. Upon encountering a group of students, the suspect reportedly brandished a firearm and began firing indiscriminately. He then approached a student who was unable to escape and seemed to fire at close range.
During a news conference on Tuesday, Christina Smith, the assistant police chief for the Dallas Independent School District, admitted not having details on the motive behind the shooting. She indicated that the gun did not pass through regular entry procedures, affirming no failures occurred in the school’s current systems or staff protocols, but withheld further details.
Efforts to gather more details from Dallas school district officials were initially unanswered. At the same media briefing, Stephanie Elizalde, the school district’s superintendent, announced the closure of the high school for the remainder of the week, while ensuring counselors would be on hand for students.
The suspect’s bond is set at $600,000, yet it remains unclear if he has legal representation as current jail records did not list an attorney for him. Previously, in April of the same year, another shooting incident occurred on this campus, where one student shot another in the leg.