Student in custody after shooting classmate in the leg at Wilmer-Hutchins HS

A student is in custody after shooting another student in the leg inside a Wilmer-Hutchins High School classroom Friday morning, Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde says.

According to district police, the shooting took place at the school located at 5520 Langdon Road, shortly after 10:30 a.m. They said the school was secured within minutes. Emergency medical services arrived at the school before 11 a.m. and transported the student to an area hospital.

Elizalde confirmed the student was shot in a classroom and suffered an injury that is not believed to be life-threatening. She said the teacher acted quickly to prevent any further injuries by directing the armed student out of the classroom and away from the school.

“He was able to direct the student away from the campus so that he could take care of, first, the injured student, and secondly, to ensure that the alleged suspect did not enter into the rest of the school building. So, that’s why I know how much more was avoided because he was directed away from the school," Elizalde said.

No other injuries were reported.

"Thankfully our student is in the care of professionals and it is a non-life-threatening injury," Elizalde said. "That should never be a normal statement that should come from a superintendent … I refuse to say we will normalize these behaviors. I refuse … this can never become acceptable."

The identities and ages of both the suspect and victim have not been confirmed, but Dallas ISD Chief of Police Albert Martinez said he believed both students involved were at least 17 years old.

Officials have also not said what may have led to the shooting but said they were looking into the motive.

Dallas ISD police confirmed a handgun had been recovered.

Elizalde confirmed the school does have metal detectors but said there are vulnerabilities, including the number of entrances at the school, and that part of their investigation into the shooting is determining how the student got the gun into the building.

“So, that is obviously the question I have that I don’t have an answer for with regard to how did the gun get inside? We do have metal detectors, they were in use today. We know that there are vulnerabilities. There are so many entrances to schools, so that’s one of the areas that the chief will be working with the school to identify those vulnerabilities," she said.

She said Martinez is also working on an after-action report.

“Our chief will lead an after-action study and report. Lessons learned so that we can share best practices with our other campuses, as well. Again, in an effort to stay proactive. We must use this tragedy to learn something and ensure that we don’t wait for something else to occur," Elizalde said.

That's something Sada Boyce wants to know.

“What comes next? Like, what are we going to do about this?” said Boyce, whose family member goes to Wilmer-Hutchins. "We could come up here and get our kids all day, you know, but how are we going to overcome, or how are we going to make the situation better? That is the next question.”

The superintendent said there would be security changes at the high school.

"This is absolutely unacceptable and unimaginable but it is happening across schools in America," Elizalde said. "I know that everyone has many questions, I have those questions. I have those very same questions that you all are going to want to ask us that we are still working on."

DALLAS ISD POLICE RESPOND TO SHOOTING AT HIGH SCHOOL

Dallas ISD police said Friday morning they were called to Wilmer-Hutchins High School at about 10:30 a.m. for a reported shooting.

Dallas ISD police said in a statement on Facebook at about 11:15 a.m. Friday all students and team members were safe and parents should refrain from coming to campus.

The district's police department confirmed a short time later that a suspect was in custody and there was no active threat at the campus.

Dallas ISD said just before 1 p.m. that students are being reunited with their parents in the Wilmer-Hutchins High School gym. Parents must bring proper identification if they want their child to be released.

"We understand this is a difficult time and ask for your patience. Counselors are onsite and available for anyone who may need support. Thank you for your understanding," the district said on X.

PARENTS OUTRAGED, UPSET OVER LACK OF COMMUNICATION

Patrick Benjamin said his child attends Wilmer-Hutchins High School and said he received an automated message saying everything was under control and that parents shouldn't come to the campus. He said he ignored that message and came to the campus anyway because things weren't under control.

"I didn't believe it was under control because she called and told me there was a gun in the school. It can't be under control if there's a gun in the school," Benjamin said.

Other parents who spoke with NBC 5 said they weren't notified the school was on lockdown and that it was their children who told them about the shooting.

"We're out here concerned. We're worried. We want to check on our children we want more information and they're not really giving us nothing. They just got us out here … waiting, concerned worried about our babies out here," said Shareese Johnson. "The school hasn't notified us that the school is on lockdown, which is the main problem with Wilmer they never do that. When they had this issue last year they never notified the parents. Our children reached out to us and told us, like, 'Hey, we're scared. There's a shooting going on.' For a parent, that's nerve-wracking to get that call from your kid, like, 'Oh my god there's a shooting going on' but you don't know what's going on because the school hasn't notified you, nothing is being said, it's just coming from your kid. So we're just nervous, just worried and concerned hoping that everybody in there is OK."

Others said the messaging came later than they would have liked. Jasmine told NBC 5 she heard from her son first, shortly after the incident took place, and that she didn't receive an automated call from the district until 11:17 a.m. She said the school has metal detectors and questioned whether or not they were working if someone was able to enter the building with a gun.

'IT IS A TRAGEDY ... GUNS HAVE NO PLACE IN OUR SCHOOLS,' REP. JASMINE CROCKETT

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30) released the following statement about the shooting inside Wilmer-Hutchins High School. 

"I am grateful to our law enforcement officers and first responders for their swift response to the disturbing shooting in a classroom at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas. My heart and thoughts are with the student injured by this shooting, their family, and all the students and staff traumatized by yet another incident of gun violence in Texas schools. While it is a blessing that this incident did not escalate to the level where any students or staff lost their lives, it underlines how gun violence is becoming commonplace in our classrooms. It is a tragedy, and the impact of this on the academic success and mental health of our students is devastating. Guns have no place in our schools, full stop."

DALLAS SHOOTING REMINISCENT OF ARLINGTON SHOOTING

In October 2021, a student at Mansfield Timberview High School in Arlington shot three people inside a classroom after a fight.

Timothy George Simpkins testified during the sentencing phase of the trial and repeatedly told the courtroom he carried the gun to defend himself and that he was scared of being attacked.

In July 2023, a Tarrant County jury found Simpkins guilty of attempted capital murder and he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the shooting.

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