According to school officials, gunshots were fired near Woodrow Wilson High School as the school day ended on March 22, but no one was harmed.
Woodrow Wilson is located in East Dallas, in the 100 block of South Glasgow Drive near Abrams Road.
The Dallas Police Department said a 911 caller reported that “random gunfire was heard within the area.”
Dallas ISD police responded to the shooting. There were no reported injuries.
According to Woodrow Wilson Principal Michael Moran, the shots were fired outside the football field on the southeast side of the school building.
“We know news of a weapon near a learning environment is unsettling, and we would like to take a moment to remind our students and families to always be vigilant and to continue to share information regarding school safety with a teacher, school administrator, or security officer,” said Moran in a statement sent to parents after the incident. “Remember, if you see something, say something.”
DISD police began investigating the source of the gunfire and the reason behind it on Tuesday evening.
On Wednesday, Dallas ISD Police Chief John Lawton stated the shots were fired into the air during a fight. Police have reportedly identified the people involved in the altercation, but the investigation remains ongoing.
One parent of a student at Wilson, Jennifer Rosner, said her daughter was nearby when the shots were heard.
“The gunshots went off 10 feet from where she was, and she literally ran for her life — as did a lot of other kids,” Rosner told WFAA.
Rosner and other parents told WFAA that the district and police need to send a clearer message to students that they are being watched and that violence will not be permitted.
Dustin Marshall, the Dallas ISD trustee whose district includes Woodrow, said on Facebook that “all individuals responsible for the disturbance will receive the appropriate consequence.”
This is the third violent incident in the area around Woodrow Wilson — which includes a residential neighborhood, Willis Winters Park, J.L. Long Middle School, and Juliette Fowler Communities — since the beginning of February.
On February 1, a brawl broke out at Willis Winters Park in the 100 block of S. Glasgow Drive. Dallas Police Department officers who responded to the scene seized two guns.
Just over a week later, eight police cars and an ambulance were sent to the park on February 10 in response to another incident. Students and parents at Willis Winters Park had apparently been involved in an altercation; a J.L. Long administration official told parents who spoke with Advocate Magazine.
In response to recent violence, Woodrow PTA has “signed the documents” to form a Woodrow Extended Neighborhood Patrol in conjunction with the Dallas Police Department, according to a post from the “Woodrow Wilson HS Insider” Facebook group.
The post stated that a police officer in a marked vehicle will now be stationed at the park every day during dismissal to ensure the safety of students.