Crime
Wilmer-Hutchins High School Shooting Suspect Identified as 17-Year-Old Tracy Haynes, In Custody
He is charged with aggravated assault – mass shooting, and his bail was set at $600,000.
DALLAS, Texas – Four students were injured, including three with gunshot wounds, after a shooting occurred Tuesday afternoon at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in southern Dallas.
Video Captures Moments of Shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas
The incident marks the second shooting on the same campus in just over a year.
Dallas Independent School District (DISD) officials said the shooting was reported at approximately 1:00 p.m., prompting an immediate and large-scale emergency response.
Students were seen evacuating the main school building as police worked to secure the scene and search for the suspect.
According to Dallas Fire-Rescue, four students — ranging in age from 15 to 18 years old — were transported to area hospitals.
Three of the students sustained gunshot wounds, while a fourth suffered a musculoskeletal injury to the lower body.
Their injuries were described as ranging from serious to non-life-threatening.
“This is the unthinkable — and sadly, it’s becoming all too familiar,” said DISD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
“No student, teacher, or parent should have to fear violence in a place meant for learning.”
The suspected gunman was identified shortly after the incident, and by 9:32 p.m., 17-year-old Tracy Haynes was taken into custody and booked into the Dallas County Jail.
He is charged with aggravated assault – mass shooting, and his bail was set at $600,000.
It is unclear at this time whether Haynes has obtained legal representation.
Officials confirmed the firearm used in the shooting did not enter the building during the school’s primary intake period, when students are screened through metal detectors and subject to clear backpack policies.
However, authorities declined to say how the weapon entered the premises, or what events led to the shooting inside the school.
“We can confirm that this was not a failure of our staff, of our protocols, or the equipment in place,” said Assistant Chief Christina Smith with the DISD Police Department. “But this is still a very fluid and ongoing investigation.”
More than 20 law enforcement units responded to the shooting, including Dallas ISD Police, the Dallas Police Department, and federal partners from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Texas Governor Greg Abbott was briefed on the situation and offered state resources to assist in the aftermath.
In response to the incident, district leaders announced that classes would be canceled for the remainder of the week, and counseling services would be made available to all students and staff affected by the shooting.
A reunification site was quickly established at Eagles Stadium, where parents were asked to bring photo identification to retrieve their children.
This incident comes almost exactly one year after a student was shot inside a classroom at Wilmer-Hutchins High School, further heightening concerns over school safety in the district.
Authorities urge anyone with additional information related to the incident to come forward as the investigation continues.
Providence, R.I. — Authorities have taken a person of interest into custody in connection with the deadly shooting at Brown University, according to multiple law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation.
The individual has been identified as Benjamin Erickson, a 24-year-old man originally from Wisconsin, source told Channel2 NOW on the condition of anonymity due to the ongoing nature of the case.
Officials said Erickson was detained at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, approximately 15 miles southwest of Brown’s campus, during an early-morning operation.
Federal and local authorities traced the person of interest to the hotel using cellphone geolocation data, according to FBI Director Kash Patel, who confirmed that the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team played a key role in locating the suspect.
“As a result, early this morning, FBI Boston’s Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Coventry Police Department, detained a person of interest in a hotel room in Coventry, Rhode Island, based on a lead from the Providence Police Department,” Patel said in a public statement.
Law enforcement sources report that officers knocked on the hotel room door and ordered the individual to open it. After entering the room, investigators questioned him about his whereabouts during the day and evening of the shooting. He allegedly told officers that he had remained at the hotel throughout that time.
During a search of the room, authorities reportedly recovered a revolver and a small Glock handgun equipped with a laser sight, according to multiple federal law enforcement sources. Investigators believe the individual traveled from Wisconsin to Rhode Island in advance of the attack.
Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez acknowledged the close coordination between local, state, and federal agencies during a news conference but declined to provide further details, citing the active investigation.
“We have deployed local and national resources to process and reconstruct the shooting scene,” Patel added. “This FBI will continue an all-out, 24/7 effort until justice is fully served.”
Authorities have emphasized that the detained individual is a person of interest, and no formal charges have been announced at this time.
The shooting occurred inside the Barus and Holley Engineering Building at Brown University, specifically in a first-floor classroom.
According to sources, the classroom belonged to Rachel Friedberg, a Faculty Associate in Brown’s Program in Judaic Studies, who previously spent several years teaching at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
University and police officials say the attack took place while exams were being held in the building.
At approximately 4:22 p.m. local time, Brown University issued an emergency alert warning of an active shooter near the Barus and Holley Engineering Lab, instructing students and staff to lock doors, silence phones, and shelter in place. A second alert later reported additional gunfire near Governor Street, about two blocks from campus.
Authorities have confirmed:
- Two people were killed
- Eight additional victims were injured and hospitalized in critical but stable condition
- One more victim later reported injuries from bullet fragments, with an expected full recovery
Police previously described the suspect as a male dressed in black, possibly wearing a camouflaged mask. No weapon was recovered at the shooting scene, though investigators believe a firearm was used.
Officials said the suspect fled the campus on foot, exiting the building toward Hope Street, and that there was no direct interaction with police at the time of the attack. Police have stated they do not currently have video footage from inside the building and are still working to determine how the suspect entered and where he went immediately afterward.
As of the latest update:
- The shelter-in-place order has since been lifted, but the investigation remains active
- No suspect has been formally charged
- Authorities have declined to release details about the victims
- Brown University, the City of Providence, and the FBI remain in close coordination
Officials continue to urge the public to avoid speculation as investigators work to establish motive, reconstruct the timeline, and determine whether additional individuals were involved.