DALLAS – The suspected gunman in the Wilmer-Hutchins High School shooting turned himself in and is facing first-degree felony charges, according to an arrest affidavit.
Newly released details in the affidavit give insight into what led to Tuesday’s shooting at the Southeast Dallas campus. Police were able to review hallway surveillance video, to help piece together what happened on Tuesday.
Who is the shooter?
What we know:
Tracy Denard Haynes Jr., 17, turned himself in at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center around 9 p.m. Tuesday.
He has been booked into the Dallas County Jail and is charged with four counts of aggravated assault in a mass shooting — a first-degree felony.
A DPS special agent who wrote the affidavit probable cause said, “At the conclusion of my review and based on the totality of the circumstance, I believe Tracy Denard Haynes Jr. committed the offense of Texas Penal Code 22.02 (b) 4 Aggravated Assault Mass Shooting-1st degree felony, when Haynes Jr. intentionally, knowingly, and/or recklessly attempted to cause serious bodily injury and or death to students attending WHHS and during the commission of the offense used and exhibited a deadly weapon. Additionally, during the commission Haynes Jr. committed the assault as part of a mass shooting, where Haynes Jr. discharged a firearm to cause serious bodily injury or death, or to attempt to cause serious bodily injury or death, to four or more persons: during the same criminal transaction.”
Haynes is being held in the Dallas County Jail on a $600,000 bond, $150,000 per count.
What we don’t know:
Officials have not said if Haynes was a student at Wilmer-Hutchins High School, or if they’ve received information as to why Haynes brought the gun to the school.
Police documents say that 5 people were injured in the shooting. Dallas ISD and Dallas Fire-Rescue said on Tuesday that four were injured. FOX 4 has reached out to agencies for more information.
How the Wilmer Hutchins school shooting unfolded
The backstory:
According to police, surveillance video shows an unknown student letting Haynes into the school through an unsecured door just after 1 p.m.
Haynes walked down the hallway and encountered a group of male students, the affidavit says. That’s when he pulled out a gun and began shooting, striking five students.
He then approached one student who was unable to run away, and shot him at point-blank range, according to the report.
Dallas school shooting victims expected to recover
The Latest:
All five victims were taken to local hospitals. Four have non-life-threatening injuries, and one is in serious condition.
Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins said all the victims are expected to recover.
Three of the victims are between 15 and 18 years old. The ages of the other two have not been confirmed.
The extent of the injuries has not been fully released, but sources told FOX 4 that at least one 17-year-old male student was shot in the lower leg.
How did a student bring a gun on campus?
Dig deeper:
Despite extra security measures at the school, Haynes was able to enter through an unsecured door.
“So it was not a failure of our staff, of our protocols, or of the machinery that we have,” said Dallas ISD Police Chief Scott Smith.
Police response and witness accounts
Dallas police and Dallas ISD officers responded to reports of a shooting around 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Sergio Campos, a Wilmer City Council member and parent, was on campus at the time for a meeting with his child’s teacher.
He said he heard about seven gunshots and saw one or two victims being carried outside — one with what appeared to be a leg injury.
“The kids were just running out, all of them — just hundreds of kids running out,” he said.
Superintendent addresses school security
Local perspective:
Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde addressed the media on Tuesday after the shooting.
“Today, as we all know, the unthinkable has happened,” said Elizalde. “Quite frankly, this is just becoming way too familiar, and it should not be familiar.”
“There are many questions, and we’re not going to have all the answers right now because some of the information will be inaccurate. So we will do our very best because we know it is important to always be transparent.”
The high school campus will be closed for the rest of the week. Additional security will be deployed to the nearby elementary school, and counselors will be available to students once the high school reopens.
2024 Wilmer-Hutchins High School Shooting
The backstory:
Almost exactly a year ago, a 17-year-old student at Wilmer-Hutchins High School shot another student in a classroom.
On April 12, 2024, a student brought a revolver to the school and shot another classmate in the leg.
Ja’kerian Rhodes Ewing, the suspected shooter from 2024, has a hearing in Dallas on April 22.
The shooting prompted many questions about how the student brought a gun into the school.
Wilmer-Hutchins High School is equipped with metal detectors and has a clear backpack policy.
The Source: Information in this article comes from an arrest affidavit, Dallas police, and school officials.
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