Second shooting at Dallas high school in a year injures four students

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

---

A suspect is being sought after opening fire in a Dallas high school Tuesday, officials said, that injured four students in the second shooting incident at the school in just over a year.

The shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in south Dallas occurred just past 1 p.m. Tuesday, and Dallas Independent School District officials provided limited details about the incident. The four students were taken to two nearby hospitals, officials said, but did not disclose the extent of their injuries.

Christina Smith, Dallas ISD’s assistant police chief, said at a 5 p.m. news conference that the shooter had not been apprehended yet, but that officials know the suspect’s identity. The gun used in the shooting was brought into the school outside of “normal intake hours,” officials said, but they did not specify what type of gun was used. Wilmer-Hutchins is equipped with metal detectors, and students are required to have clear backpacks.

Almost exactly a year before Tuesday’s shooting, another Wilmer-Hutchins student was shot in the leg in a classroom. The shooter was a 17-year-old student, and the district was criticized in the weeks following for allowing the gun to enter the school despite the security measures in place.

“Quite frankly, this is becoming way too familiar, and it should not be familiar,” Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said during the news conference.

Smith described the investigation as “fluid” and said more details would be released later. Wilmer-Hutchins will be closed for the rest of the week, and Elizalde said the school would provide mental health resources to students.

Nearby Wilmer-Hutchins Elementary School also was locked down, but there was no danger to the school and it will be open Wednesday.

Elizalde said she spoke with Gov. Greg Abbott in the hours after the shooting, and Abbott released a statement Tuesday evening stating his office would provide the resources necessary to “arrest the criminals involved and bring them to justice.”

---

Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas’ breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Get tickets before May 1 and save big! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.