A 17-year-old high school student was shot and killed on Wednesday morning about a mile from the Terrell High School campus in Kaufman County, the Terrell Police Department told The Dallas Express.
The incident was reported near Trailview Drive off Town North Drive in Terrell.
A person of interest was taken into custody on an unrelated charge after the gunshot at 8:12 a.m., police said. Officers are also searching for a second person who may be connected to the shooting, but they have not identified the suspect by name.
First responders attempted life-saving measures at the scene before transporting the victim to the hospital. The victim, identified as Damaria Jackson, was pronounced dead at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Kaufman, Terrell police said.
“This was not an active threat, and direct communication between the TISD staff, TISD Police and Terrell Police quickly determined there was no threat in safety to the campus or the students,” Terrell police said in a statement to The Dallas Express.
The Terrell Independent School District sent a letter to parents on Wednesday to notify them of the shooting earlier in the morning, local news station WFAA reported.
The school district increased security on campus after the incident was reported and said that staff and students at the high school remain safe.
“All Terrell High School students and staff are safe, and due to the distance of the incident, the school continued with — and will continue with — a normal instructional day,” Terrell ISD said in a statement.
The district later confirmed to WFAA that Jackson, a junior, was a student at the high school.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share with you that we have lost one of our precious Terrell Tigers. We realize that this will be a time of mourning and that our students and staff need time to process their grief,” the district said in a statement.
“Our hearts go out to Demaria’s family, and we grieve with them and for them.”
Terrell, population 17,000, is located about 40 minutes east of Downtown Dallas.
In nearby Dallas, 157 murders have been reported so far this year — eight more than this time last year — according to the City’s Open Data crime analytics dashboard.
The City has been kneecapped in its efforts to fight crime by a shortage of sworn police officers. A City analysis suggests that Dallas should have about three officers per 1,000 residents, but the police department currently has about 3,100 officers.
Crime is particularly high in Downtown Dallas compared to the downtown areas of other local communities. Meanwhile, neighboring Fort Worth has found success by deploying dedicated police units and private security officers in its city center.
