1 student hospitalized in shooting at Dallas’ Wilmer-Hutchins High School; suspect arrested
One student was injured and transported to a hospital, and a suspect is in custody after a shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas on Friday morning, authorities said.
Dallas Fire-Rescue units were dispatched at 10:36 a.m. to the school at 5520 Langdon Road, in southeast Dallas, in response to a “confirmed active shooter incident,” a DFR spokesperson said.
The injured student was shot in the leg by another student in a classroom, Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said at a news conference Friday afternoon. The teacher in the classroom “helped us avoid additional tragedy,” she said.
The injured student is expected to survive, the superintendent said.
As Elizalde spoke, a voice could be heard in the background announcing names of students who were lined up to be released and reunited with their families.
“This is a very, very, very hard day today,” Elizalde said. “And I’m standing here with a heavy heart.”
A police spokesperson had told reporters outside the school Friday morning that officers were working to search and clear the building before reuniting students with their parents and other family members on campus.
The identity of the suspect has not been released. Dallas ISD police are leading the investigation and say they believe the suspected shooter and the victim know each other.
It’s unclear how the shooter was able to get a handgun inside the school building. Dallas ISD has a clear backpack policy, and the school has metal detectors, the superintendent said.
Elizalde said she has many of the same questions that parents and others in the community are asking.
“We know that there are vulnerabilities,” she said. “There are so many entrances to schools so that’s one of the areas” Dallas ISD police will be investigating “to identify those vulnerabilities.”
“This is absolutely unacceptable and unimaginable, but it is happening in schools across America,” the superintendent said.
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Families weren’t allowed on campus until after the police search was complete, and the reunification process took several hours.
In a statement on social media Friday morning, Dallas ISD said, “All students and team members are safe at Wilmer-Hutchins High School as we have initiated our safety protocol. Police are on site to ensure our school remains secure. At this time, we ask for everyone to refrain from coming to the campus, as we limit access inside.”
The school district said parents will receive a letter with more details about what happened.
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