Four people ended up in the hospital after a shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas, Texas on Tuesday afternoon. Authorities said the suspect was taken into custody later that day.
The shooting happened just after 1 p.m. One student told CBS News Texas she heard around seven shots. The school sits at 5500 Langdon Road.
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Police responded quickly after reports
By around 2:20 p.m., police confirmed there was no ongoing threat and the campus had been secured.
Aerial shots showed police, EMS, and even ATF agents surrounding the school. Lots of agencies were out there.
Students evacuated as chaos unfolded
Students were seen leaving school and walking toward the stadium. About 900 kids were there that day.
The district said everyone, students and staff, were safe. Families were being reunited at Eagle Stadium.
Teen victims are expected to recover
Three of the four victims were shot, but first responders said their injuries didn’t look life-threatening. They were taken to different hospitals, including Baylor Scott & White, Parkland, and Methodist in Oak Cliff.
Three of the victims were teens between 15 and 18. The age of the fourth person wasn’t confirmed.
The teen shooter has now been identified
Earlier in the day, CBS News Texas said police were looking for the student who opened fire on campus.
Later that night, the suspect — 17-year-old Tracy Haynes — was booked into the Dallas County Jail. He’s facing a charge for aggravated assault mass shooting. His bond was set at $600,000.
His aunt told The Dallas Morning News she was shocked and said the family couldn’t believe it. “He was not raised like that,” she said. “He came from a good family.”
Officials say security didn’t fail this time
Dallas ISD Assistant Chief of Police Christina Smith said the weapon didn’t come in during the regular morning check, so it wasn’t because staff or their machines missed something.
No school for the rest of the week, counselors stepping in
Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said classes are canceled for the rest of the week. She added that mental health support would be available.
Governor Abbott offers state support
“Our hearts go out to the victims of this senseless act of violence at Wilmer-Hutchins High School,” Gov. Greg Abbott said.
“I spoke with Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde and Dallas ISD Chief Albert Martinez. I offered to support the school district families, students, and staff and to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to arrest the criminals involved and bring them to justice.
Cecilia and I ask our fellow Texans to join us in praying for the victims’ swift recovery and for the entire Wilmer-Hutchins High School community.”
This school also had a shooting in 2024
Almost exactly a year ago, another shooting happened at the same school. A student was hurt when a bullet hit their arm.
That shooting, on April 12, 2024, happened inside a classroom. Officials said it was targeted and came from a personal conflict.
Safety failures followed the 2024 case
Back then, DISD said the student brought the gun in without getting caught by security, though they didn’t say whether the student’s bag was checked.
The district didn’t answer questions about whether enough staff were on duty at the time. But later, they said they had boosted staff numbers for both arrival and dismissal.
They also shared that the gun had been brought in during late entry — and that some safety steps weren’t followed properly. It’s still unclear how exactly the weapon got in.
2024 shooter was named and changes were made
The shooter in that 2024 case was identified as 17-year-old Ja’kerian Rhodes-Ewing. Two weeks later, it came out that his bag hadn’t been properly checked by school security.
Since then, DISD says it made some safety upgrades but didn’t get too specific. They said more staff were added at drop-off and pick-up times. Plus, they’re retraining all staff on how to search backpacks and use metal detectors and wands.
“They have every right to be angry. They have every right to express how they feel,” Johnson said. “A gun got into one of our schools. It shocked all of us.”
After that shooting, students staged a campus walkout in protest.
