Four people were injured during a shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in southern Dallas Tuesday afternoon, and one was in serious condition, according to local officials.
At least three of those injured were shot, according to Dallas Fire Rescue. Ages of the three shooting victims ranged from 15 to 18, one of whom may have been grazed by a bullet. All three were rushed to a nearby hospital. An unidentified fourth person was also transported, but it wasn't clear whether that person was also shot.
A 17-year-old was arrested and booked into the Dallas County Jail Tuesday night, according to the Dallas Morning News.
All students were reunified with families, according to Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde. The school will be closed the rest of the week and will offer mental health resources.
"You don't ever just get used to this and I am very aware of that,” Elizalde said. “It certainly weighs very heavy on my heart, but I can't begin to imagine as a parent myself, I'm trying to put myself in those shoes."
Wilmer-Hutchins elementary was also on lockdown but classes will resume Wednesday.
Assistant Police Chief Christina Smith said the gun did not come through during “regular intake time,” and that the incident was not a failure of the staff, protocols or machinery used to detect firearms. She did not elaborate further, and both officials only took two questions from reporters.
Student Sevynn Jones, 18, said she was in a classroom when she heard a commotion in the hallway.
Two people were arguing over a dice game, she said, before she heard seven shots and witnessed one person with a gunshot wound.
“A lot of people bring their guns every day," she said. "Everybody posts their guns every day, so it’s like, yeah it’s normal.”
The incident comes just three days after the anniversary of a shooting at the school that left one person injured. In the wake of that shooting, community members gathered at a town hall meeting to demand solutions to gun violence in the community.
For parents like 37-year-old Elizabeth Ray, Tuesday's shooting was a frustrating reminder of that day.
She was leaving an interview in Lancaster Tuesday when she saw a string of missed messages on her phone from her 15-year-old daughter: "Mom, there's shooting. I can't breathe. I need you to come get me."
She ran to her car and rushed to the school, speeding all the way as she witnessed police vehicles with blaring sirens doing the same. Her daughter was thankfully unharmed.
“This is the second time," she said. "First time, what did they do about it? If they did something about it, this second time wouldn’t have happened.”
Twice was enough, Ray added — she's pulling her daughter out of Wilmer-Hutchins.
Penelope Rivera is KERA’s breaking news reporter and Yfat Yossifor is KERA’s visual journalist. Got a tip? Email privera@kera.org.
