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Year After Shooting, Wilmer-Hutchins Faces Gunfire Again—Suspect Arrested [WATCH]

Posted By RVM News Staff On In Law Enforcement,News | No Comments

A 17-year-old suspect was taken into custody Tuesday night following a school shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School that left four students injured.

Tracy Haynes was booked into the Dallas County Jail at 9:32 p.m. and is facing a charge of aggravated assault mass shooting. His bond has been set at $600,000, as reported [1] by Dallas News.

The shooting occurred around 1 p.m. Tuesday on the school campus located in the 5500 block of Langdon Road. Dallas Police and Fire-Rescue units responded quickly, with more than 20 units dispatched to the scene.

Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans confirmed that four students were transported to local hospitals. Three students, ranging in age from 15 to 18, sustained gunshot wounds.

A fourth student suffered a musculoskeletal injury to the lower body, but their age was not immediately released. The conditions of the students ranged from serious to non-life-threatening.

Dallas ISD Assistant Police Chief Christina Smith confirmed at a 5 p.m. press conference that the suspected shooter had not yet been apprehended at that time. A citywide alert with a suspect description was issued to law enforcement officers.

Although Wilmer-Hutchins High School has metal detectors and enforces a clear backpack policy, Smith stated that the weapon did not enter the building during regular intake. “It was not a failure of our staff, of our protocols, or of the machinery that we have,” she said.

Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde noted that Governor Greg Abbott called for updates and offered additional resources. Agencies including the Department of Public Safety, FBI, and ATF responded to the scene.

All classes at Wilmer-Hutchins High School were canceled for the remainder of the week, with classes scheduled to resume on April 22. Mental health support will be made available to students and staff.

Students and parents shared harrowing accounts of the incident. Senior Adonta Jackson reported hearing about eight gunshots and described chaos as students fled the building.

Image Credit: rawf8 - Shutterstock.com [4]
rawf8 – Shutterstock.com

His mother, Lashunda Edwards, rushed to the campus upon hearing the news. “I just want my child to be safe. Anybody’s kid, really,” she said.

Other students, including freshman Salondra Ibanez and sophomore Abby Falcon, described sheltering in classrooms and calling family members during the shooting.

Many parents raced to the school to retrieve their children, while students waited in large groups near the stadium to be picked up.

Sevynn Jones, a senior, expressed concern about safety on campus and the impact the shooting may have on graduation plans. “It’s not really a safe school to go to,” she said.

The 17-year-old suspect facing mass shooting charges is now behind bars. Police say Tracy Haynes Jr opened fire in the hallway of Wilmer-Hutchins HS. Dallas fire rescue took 4 students to the hospital. This is the 2nd shooting the school has had in just over a year. @FOX4 [5] pic.twitter.com/WCfZa8rTdv [6]

— Payton May (@paytonmaytv) April 16, 2025 [7]

This week’s incident comes almost exactly a year after another shooting occurred at the same school. On April 12, 2024, one student shot another in a classroom.

Following that shooting, the district pledged changes to campus safety procedures, including increased personnel, retraining staff on searches, and revamping monitoring protocols. Despite those efforts, parents and students questioned whether enough had been done.

Danielle Curtis, whose daughter attended Wilmer-Hutchins during last year’s incident, pulled her out of Dallas ISD afterward. “Here we are again. Same time of year, same thing,” she said. “I pray for the families that are affected.”

Wilmer-Hutchins High School, which reopened under Dallas ISD in 2011 after the dissolution of Wilmer-Hutchins ISD due to financial issues, currently serves about 900 students.