School Shooting Leaves Teacher and Students Injured
A teacher who recently returned to the classroom after having a baby was grazed by a bullet during last month’s shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School, according to new details revealed in an arrest-warrant affidavit obtained by The Dallas Morning News.
Four students suffered gunshot wounds, and an educator was grazed “on the right side of her face, inches away from her right eye,” a Dallas ISD police officer wrote in the affidavit.
The Teacher’s Story
Columbia Renix, the teacher, had worked at Wilmer-Hutchins for only half a year, she told The News. She decided to return to the classroom shortly after giving birth to her first child.
She’s still breastfeeding her daughter, now 9 months old. On the day of the shooting, Renix went into a room to clean her breast pump when gunfire erupted in the hallway.
A stray bullet pierced through the room and knocked the glasses off her face, she recalled.
“It’s a shock. You’re never prepared for this,” Renix, who will turn 30 next week, said in an interview Thursday.
Recovery and Support
The math teacher has an active GoFundMe fundraiser to help with recovery costs.
“A few weeks ago, there was a shooting at my school that deeply impacted everyone in attendance that day,” she wrote on the webpage. “The impact that it had on me was that the bullet went through my glasses and across my face, missing my right eye. My vision wasn’t the only thing affected, but we take it day by day to heal.”
The Shooting Incident
On April 15, police say Tracy Haynes Jr., 17, was let into the Wilmer-Hutchins campus through a side door.
Haynes allegedly spotted some teens in the hallways and “began firing at the students indiscriminately striking 4 male students,” according to the affidavit.
He “then approached one student who was not able to run,” the affidavit says. He “walked towards the student and attempted to take a point-blank shot, but the firearm malfunctioned.”
Aftermath of the Shooting
A day after the shooting, Jason Evans, a Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson, said two of the students had been discharged while the others would “remain hospitalized for observation following procedures to address their injuries.”
“Both are expected to be okay,” Evans said. He said Thursday that he did not have additional information on the injured students.
The incident shocked families at Wilmer-Hutchins, the site of another shooting a year prior.
Reaction from Educators and Officials
Nicole Hill, the spokeswoman for the educator union Texas AFT, said she wished she was surprised to learn a teacher was injured in yet another school shooting. But educators across the state go to work worried about gunfire breaking out on their campus, she said.
“The bottom line is, as long as teenagers can get access to guns, we have a problem,” Hill said. “We’re going to have issues like this on campus.”
Haynes faces multiple aggravated assault mass shooting charges. He remained in Dallas County jail Thursday, according to jail records.
Education Lab
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron and Phyllis Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
Conclusion
The school shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School has left a teacher and students injured, and the community is still reeling from the incident. The shooting has raised concerns about gun violence and access to firearms, and has highlighted the need for increased safety measures in schools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What happened during the shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School?
A: On April 15, police say Tracy Haynes Jr., 17, was let into the Wilmer-Hutchins campus through a side door and began firing at students, striking 4 male students and grazing a teacher.
Q: How many students were injured in the shooting?
A: Four students suffered gunshot wounds, and two of them had been discharged from the hospital while the others remained hospitalized for observation.
Q: What is the current status of the teacher who was injured?
A: The teacher, Columbia Renix, is recovering from her injuries and has a GoFundMe fundraiser to help with recovery costs.
Q: What are the charges against the suspect, Tracy Haynes Jr.?
A: Haynes faces multiple aggravated assault mass shooting charges and remained in Dallas County jail Thursday, according to jail records.
