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One student dead after shooting outside Lamar High School in Arlington

A police vehicle parked in the driveway of a school
Yfat Yossifor
/
KERA
Arlington Police car

The school was on lockdown Monday morning after two students were shot, police and school officials said. The alleged shooter, who police said was also a student, was arrested.

One student is dead and another injured after a shooting outside Lamar High School in Arlington Monday morning, the school district and police said.

Police say they received multiple reports of shots fired outside the school around 6:55 a.m. Monday. Arlington Police Chief Al Jones told reporters that video from the scene shows two unidentified students — one male one female — outside on the school steps when the shooting occurred.

The male student was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died. A female student was grazed on the cheek by shrapnel, and taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries by a nearby adult, according to police.

Jones said video footage showed the shooter, who was also a student, fleeing the scene. He was later arrested.

"As a dad, I was disturbed, because it's a kid," Jones said. "This is what I would say was a very senseless act of violence."
A witness called 911 and gave a description of the shooter, the chief said. When police arrived, he said they found the shooter and took him into custody.

The shooting occurred before school was scheduled to begin, and many students had not yet arrived on campus before the shots were fired, police said. An armed school resource officer was scheduled to be on campus at 7 a.m. — shortly after the shooting occurred, district officials said.

"Schools deserve to be a safe place for students to learn and to grow every day," Arlington ISD Superintendent Marcelo Cavazos said. "Today we're heartbroken."

Parents stand in a long line outside the Arlington ISD Athletics Center to pick up students
Yfat Yossifor
/
KERA
Parents stand in line to pick up their students after a shooting at Lamar High School Monday, March 20, 2023, at the Arlington ISD Athletics Center.

The high school remained on lockdown until around noon while police fully cleared the building. Students have since been released to their parents or guardians.

One of those parents was Kita Bowles, who said she got a text from her daughter around 7:15 a.m. telling her about the shooting.

“As a mom, I just started bawling," Bowles said. "She’s my only daughter, my only child, so I just started bawling and I just told my boss, 'man I needed to leave and go get my baby.'”

The school will be closed Tuesday, and AISD counselors will be on site Thursday to support students and staff.

"The fact that the kids had to respond as quickly as they did to such a tragedy and to such an urgent situation, I'm just beyond grateful and I'm beyond thankful," said Lamar Principal Andrew Hagman. "They followed our instructions, they listened to APD and our staff, and I'm thankful they are safe today."

A parent hugs a student as they walk to their car after a shooting at Lamar High School
Yfat Yossifor
/
KERA
A parent hugs a student after a shooting at Lamar High School Monday, March 20, 2023, at the Arlington ISD Athletics Center.

Michael Price picked up his daughter Janelle from a unification site at the school's athletic center around noon. He said he also learned about the shooting from his daughter, who was inside the building when the incident occurred.

But hearing from her was a relief, he said, because it meant his daughter was still alive and unharmed.

"If it hadn't been for her having a cell phone, I would have been having a heart attack the whole time, not knowing what was going on," Price said. "She's the one who texted me and told me what was going on, so right away, I knew that she was safe."

Janelle added the situation was surreal: Even though she's gotten used to learning about school shootings in the media, she never believed she'd experience one.

"I don't know, I see it all the time, but I never thought it would happen at my school," she said. "It's crazy. It's scary."

Kailey Broussard is a reporter for KERA and The Texas Newsroom through Report for America (RFA). Broussard covers the city of Arlington, with a focus on local and county government accountability.
Born in London, Morning Producer and Podcast Host Katherine Hobbs has lived across the U.S. since 2001. Prior to joining KERA, she produced three podcasts for WJCT Public Media and Florida Public Media and wrote for Jacksonville Magazine, Autism Parenting Magazine and EU Jacksonville, among others. Katherine is thrilled to return to Texas after briefly living in Austin to share the stories that impact our North Texas community. When she’s not working, Katherine can be found admiring public libraries and visiting penguin colonies around the world.
Toluwani Osibamowo is a general assignments reporter for KERA. She previously worked as a news intern for Texas Tech Public Media and copy editor for Texas Tech University’s student newspaper, The Daily Toreador, before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She is originally from Plano.