One student was killed and another injured after a shooting at Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas.
“On behalf of the department, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the family of the victims and to all of the students and staff at Lamar High School,” Arlington Police Chief Al Jones said. “Our hearts are with them.”
The suspect, a juvenile male, was arrested and charged with capital murder, according to police. Additional charges are pending. The suspect, whose name has not been released, was taken into custody without incident, and the weapon believed to be used in the shooting was recovered.
What Happened?
At about 6:55 a.m. on Monday, Arlington Police Department responded to multiple reports of shots fired outside Lamar High School. Arlington is about 25 west of Dallas.The shooting occurred outside near a parking lot on the east side of the campus about 35 minutes before classes began. The suspect fled the scene after the incident and never entered the school, police said.
Within minutes, staff began securing the students and bringing them inside the building, said Dr. Marcelo Cavazos, superintendent at Arlington Independent School District.
One student, a juvenile male, was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he later died. The name of the student has not been released.
The other student, a juvenile female, suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being grazed by a bullet or flying debris, according to police. She was taken to the hospital by an adult, according to officials. That student’s name has also not been released.
No other injuries were reported.
The school was placed on lockdown for several hours while police searched the campus, Officer Jesse Minton told The Epoch Times, adding that not all students had arrived on campus at the time of the incident.
“Their response was swift,” Arlington PD Chief Al Jones said in a press conference Monday afternoon. “The scene was secure in minutes.”
Jones said that the motive for the shooting remains unclear.
The school district notified parents of the incident through email and other methods.
All students who were on campus at the time of the shooting were bussed to a reunification center where parents were instructed to pick them up starting at noon. Lamar High School serves more than 2,600 students.
Charmeka Smith, whose 16-year-old son was nearby when the shooting occurred, said that she got a call from her son shortly after he got to school.
“He was a little shaken up,” Smith told The Epoch Times while waiting to pick up her son at the reunification center. “You can’t even send your kids to school nowadays. It’s not even safe at school.”
The department has worked closely with district officials to prepare for this type of incident, officials said.
“We will continue to work lock and step with the district to make schools a safe place for the students to learn,” Jones said.
“We need gun owners to step up to be responsible and to ensure that they are properly securing their firearms, so kids don’t have access to them,” he continued. “That means using gun safes, gun locks, and not leaving the guns unsecured in cars or other places where kids can get them.”
Classes at Lamar High School are canceled for Tuesday, and after-school activities are postponed. School staff will report as usual, according to school officials.
Counselors will be on hand Wednesday for students and staff.
The suspect is being held at the Tarrant County Juvenile Detention facility.
