Four students were injured on Tuesday, three with gunshot wounds, during a shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas.
A suspect has been arrested and is being held at Dallas County Jail, but they have not been publicly named, according to NBC News.
Newsweek contacted the Wilmer-Hutchins High School and the Dallas Independent School District Police Department for comment on Wednesday via telephone outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Gun violence in American schools remains a major problem, with statistics website Statista recording 55 incidents thus far in 2025, in which a gun was fired or brandished, or a bullet hits school property, a K-12 school in the United States.
According to health policy body KFF, the “average yearly rate of student exposure to school shooting” has increased from 19 per 100,000 students in 1999-2004, to 51 from 2020 to 2024.
What To Know
A shooting was reported at Dallas’s Wilmer-Hutchins High School at around 1 p.m. local time, with Dallas Fire-Rescue confirming four people aged between 15 and 18 were injured, of whom three sustained gunshot wounds. All those wounded were male and their injuries ranged from serious to non-life threatening.
During a press conference on Tuesday, authorities said they believed they had identified the shooter, but did not provide a name. Dallas Independent School District announced on Tuesday evening that a suspect had been taken into custody and is being held at Dallas County Jail but did not provide any further details.
Citing multiple sources, ABC News reported the incident was student-on-student violence. Speaking to local network NBC Dallas-Fort Worth, one 11th-grade student said the shooting was the result of a dispute over a game of dice, but this has not been officially confirmed.
During the press conference, Dallas Independent School District Assistant Police Chief Christina Smith said the firearm used “did not come through during regular intake time” adding “it was not a failure of our staff, of our protocols, of the machinery that we have.”
A police vehicle pictured outside of Wilmer-Hutchins High School following Tuesday’s shooting. A police vehicle pictured outside of Wilmer-Hutchins High School following Tuesday’s shooting. Julio Cortez/AP
Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said the school will remain closed for the rest of the week and mental health experts will be made available to students.
In a separate incident in April 2024, a student at Wilmer-Hutchins High School was shot in the leg. Police later arrested Ja’Kerian Rhodes-Ewing, then aged 17, and he was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon as well as unlawfully carrying a weapon in a prohibited place.
What People Are Saying
Speaking at a press conference Assistant Police Chief Smith said: “Quite frankly, this is just becoming way too familiar. And it should not be familiar.”
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, on X: “I’m deeply troubled to learn that a shooting has taken place at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas. Our schools should never be places of violence.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement, “Our hearts go out to the victims of this senseless act of violence at Wilmer-Hutchins High School,” said Governor Abbott. “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.
“Since I’ve been governor, Texas has provided over $3 billion in school safety funding. This session, I am seeking an additional $500 million to further safeguard schools across the state. 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.”
What Happens Next
If authorities are confident they have the right person, the suspect is likely to be charged and potentially named in the near future. A trial would then follow in due course.
