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.
Crime
Attorneys Argue Jacob Bard Actions in Deadly Kentucky State University Shooting Were Legally Justified
Attorneys representing Jacob Bard, the man accused in a deadly shooting at Kentucky State University, contend that his actions were legally justified and undertaken in defense of his family amid what they describe as a violent and uncontrolled situation on campus.
In a press release issued Monday afternoon, Bard’s legal team from the Indiana-based law firm Danks & Danks asserted that Bard “was completely justified under the law in his use of deadly force.”
Bard is accused of fatally shooting one Kentucky State University student and wounding another during an incident at a campus dormitory.
According to the attorneys’ statement, Bard traveled to Kentucky State University after his younger son reported being attacked on multiple occasions.
The release alleges that on Monday, December 8, a group of approximately 20 to 30 individuals gathered outside the son’s dormitory, some allegedly armed, and began beating on the door. Campus police were reportedly called to respond to the disturbance.
The following morning, Bard and his wife met with Kentucky State University police. While the attorneys stated that officers appeared sincere in their efforts, they claimed it was evident to the family that campus police were “ill-prepared to deal with the out-of-control and violent environment.”
The legal team further alleges that both the university and its police department failed to adequately address what they described as multiple armed and violent felonies against Bard’s sons, ages 18 and 19, as well as other students in the days preceding the shooting.
Those alleged incidents included burglaries and armed assaults.
Later that morning, the family attended a meeting at Young Hall with campus police and a university dean.
According to the release, the meeting left the family convinced that the university would not be able to maintain a safe environment, prompting them to begin removing the son’s belongings from the dormitory.
When the family returned to the residence hall, the attorneys claim that individuals previously involved in the alleged assaults were present, despite assurances they would not be allowed inside.
The statement further alleges that those individuals photographed the family and made verbal threats.
The attorneys contend that, even with two armed Kentucky State University police officers present, a group of 20 to 30 individuals gathered in the dormitory lobby and “violently and viciously attacked” Bard’s son and family members.
According to the release, Bard’s son was slammed into the concrete floor and beaten by multiple people, and the officer on scene allegedly lost control of the situation.
“In the chaos,” the attorneys wrote, Bard attempted to pull attackers off his son but was struck himself. Believing his son to be in imminent danger of death or serious physical injury, Bard then drew his firearm and shot two individuals whom the attorneys say were actively assaulting his son.
The legal team also stated that no charges have been filed against others allegedly involved in the confrontation and claimed the Bard family has continued to receive death threats.
The release further alleges that the mother of the deceased student has publicly called for retaliation against Bard’s son and sought assistance from criminal groups—claims that have not been independently verified by authorities.
The case against Bard was presented to a grand jury on December 16.
During a previous court hearing, a detective testified that at least one video reviewed by investigators did not show the shooting victims assaulting Bard’s son.
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not issued a final determination regarding the circumstances surrounding the shooting.