Shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School May Not Have Been Preventable, Officials Say

Dallas ISD officials said that the shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School that sent several students to the hospital might not have been preventable. Dallas ISD police Chief Albert Martinez said at a news conference Thursday morning that all doors at this campus were “locked and secured,” meaning the door could not be opened from the outside but could be opened from the inside, as fire code requires. This was a departure from the description provided earlier of an “unsecured door.”

Officials said earlier this week the shooter was allowed inside the Dallas school by a student through an “unsecured door,” and the shooter opened fire, wounding at least four of his peers and drawing renewed attention to the school district’s security measures. Tracy Haynes Jr., 17, a student at Wilmer-Hutchins, turned himself in to police Tuesday night. He faces an aggravated assault mass shooting charge. Haynes was held Wednesday in lieu of a $600,000 bond, according to jail records. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney.

It was the second shooting that Wilmer-Hutchins students have faced in a year. At a Tuesday news conference, district officials denied protocol failures allowed the shooting to occur, a contrast from their response to last year’s incident. Officials last year said the district’s security protocols were not strictly followed when a teenage suspect shot a classmate. Students said they did not feel safe at school and demanded the district do more to protect them.

Investigation and Response

Martinez said the district’s safety protocols were being followed by staff and officers and the metal detectors were operating effectively on Tuesday. “We understand the frustrations of parents and students,” he said. “Trust me, we’re all feeling that frustration and we are frustrated ourselves.” The suspected shooter did not enter through the front door or the metal detectors, Martinez said. Martinez said the shooter, who used a 40-caliber weapon, entered and exited the school in two minutes.

“I don’t know that it was preventable,” he said. “When somebody puts their mind to it, and we’re doing everything that we can.” Officials believe the shooter was targeting a specific individual, and they are investigating whether it was related to a gang dispute, Martinez said. The shooter’s motive is still unclear and officials said they did not yet know where he obtained the weapon.

Changes since Last Year

Last year, Elizalde said the school had vulnerabilities due to its many entrances. She reiterated this Thursday, saying the district would be placing a staff member at each of the 13 entrances until the end of the school year so students cannot open the doors from the inside. Police presence will also be increased. The school also upgraded its surveillance cameras at each of the entrances last year, according to Elizalde.

Martinez said protocol requires maintenance staff and police to conduct sweeps of doors to ensure they’re locked. “We recognize that we cannot be posted at those doors all the time,” he said. “But now, with this incident, we go back and say, ‘Okay, what else can we do?’” District leaders said they would increase personnel during arrival and dismissal, retrain staff on backpack searches and metal detectors, and revamp schedules to make more people available to monitor students.

Common Challenges

In the aftermath of an active shooting like Tuesday’s, investigators typically focus on how the weapon entered the school, how quickly law enforcement responded and how effectively school officials carried out emergency procedures, said J. Pete Blair, director of the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University. The number of entrances and exits on school campuses has long presented challenges for security, even before the rise in school shootings, Blair said.

Efforts to route students through security-screened entrances — using metal detectors or other measures — are sometimes undermined by the need to keep other doors accessible for emergency evacuations, such as during a fire. “This has been a common problem in schools,” Blair said in an interview. The Texas Legislature has already taken steps to increase school security, most notably requiring districts post an armed security officer at every campus following the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde in 2022.

Conclusion

The shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School has raised concerns about school safety and the effectiveness of security measures. While officials say that the shooting may not have been preventable, they are taking steps to increase security and prevent similar incidents in the future. The district is placing a staff member at each entrance, increasing police presence, and retraining staff on security procedures. The community is coming together to support the students and families affected by the shooting, and to demand action to make schools safer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What happened at Wilmer-Hutchins High School? A: There was a shooting at the school that sent several students to the hospital. The shooter, Tracy Haynes Jr., 17, turned himself in to police and faces an aggravated assault mass shooting charge.

Q: Was the shooting preventable? A: Officials say that the shooting may not have been preventable, but they are taking steps to increase security and prevent similar incidents in the future.

Q: What is being done to increase security at the school? A: The district is placing a staff member at each entrance, increasing police presence, and retraining staff on security procedures. The school is also upgrading its surveillance cameras and conducting sweeps of doors to ensure they are locked.

Q: What can be done to make schools safer? A: Experts say that a combination of measures can help make schools safer, including increasing security personnel, improving surveillance and emergency response plans, and providing mental health support to students. Communities can also come together to demand action from lawmakers and school officials to make schools safer.