In Dallas, a shooting on Tuesday afternoon at Wilmer-Hutchins High School injured four students. Of those, three had gunshot wounds. The crash was reported at about 1 p.m. Students sprinted out of the central school building, running to safety. According to officials from Dallas Fire-Rescue, the six injured students were between 15 and 18 years old. Their injuries ranged from life threatening to non-life-threatening.
This challenging experience speaks to a woeful national pattern regarding Wilmer-Hutchins High School. Last year, the same school district saw one of its students grievously wounded in a classroom shooting at the very same school. As the community continues to deal with the trauma of this cycle of violence, questions about the safety of a school setting have come into focus.
Dallas Independent School District (DISD) police and district officials rushed to downplay what unfolded. They worked with the MPC to assure that the only suspect had been identified but at first was still at large. After a long and exhaustive search, the suspect was taken into custody and is being held in the Dallas County Jail on a $1M bond. Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde spoke to the media just hours after the shooting, acknowledging how serious this incident is.
“Today as we all know, the unthinkable has happened,” – Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde
Witness testimony painted a horrific picture of a scene where students were not able to safely flee. One of the surviving students, Patrick Campos, remembered what he felt in those traumatic and tragic moments.
“I turned around, all I heard was seven gunshots. I grabbed a teacher and ran in the room,” – student Patrick Campos
Authorities also have not released all information about the motive for the shooting or the suspect’s identity. While investigations run their course, community leaders and parents say they are frustrated and want school districts to do more to keep students safe on school campuses.