Four students were wounded at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas on Tuesday afternoon after gunfire erupted inside the building, sending students scrambling for safety and prompting a massive police response. The shooting, which occurred just after p.m., marks the second such incident at the school in just over a year.
Authorities say the suspect, identified as 17-year-old Tracy Denard Haynes Jr., entered the school through an unsecured door with the help of another student. Surveillance footage reportedly captured Haynes encountering a group of male students in the hallway before opening fire, ultimately injuring five people—four with gunshot wounds and one with a musculoskeletal injury. Most victims are between and years old, and all are expected to recover.
Haynes turned himself in at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center around p.m. Tuesday and now faces four counts of aggravated assault in a mass shooting, a first-degree felony, with his bond set at $60,0001. Officials have emphasized that the shooting was isolated student-on-student violence, not an ongoing active shooter situation.
Despite security measures like metal detectors and a clear backpack policy, the weapon was brought onto campus outside of regular intake hours, raising questions about school safety protocols. The investigation remains active as authorities work to determine the motive and how the shooting unfolded.
