Two students have been hospitalized after being shot outside a high school in Arlington Monday morning.
Officers with the Arlington Police Department (APD) responded to multiple calls about gunfire at Lamar High School just before 7 a.m., arriving to find that two students, one male and one female, had been injured.
“We do not believe the suspected shooter ever entered the school. Officers were able to locate and take that individual into custody shortly after arriving on scene. At this time, I do not have any additional details about the suspect,” said APD spokesperson Tim Ciesco in an emailed statement to The Dallas Express.
Both the two injured students and the shooter were under the age of 17. The alleged shooter fired two shots, critically wounding the male victim and causing the female victim to sustain non-life-threatening injuries, Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
“The school day does not typically begin until 7:35am — and so school was not in session and not all students had arrived on campus when this incident occurred,” APD posted on Twitter.
Administrators put Lamar High School on lockdown following the shooting. The building was searched and cleared by APD, per its department protocols.
APD subsequently announced on Twitter that parents could begin picking up their children that had been on campus in the early morning from a designated rendezvous point.
“Per @ArlingtonISD, students will be bussed to a reunification center at the AISD Athletics Center (1001 E. Division St) where parents / guardians can pick them up starting at 12:00pm,” the post read.
No other details about the suspect had been released by APD as of press time.
The double shooting comes amidst a broader rise in violent crime in North Texas, particularly in Dallas, where City leaders have been unable to check the out-of-control spike in criminal homicides.
As of last Saturday, murders have increased by 34.8% year-to-date, numbering 58 so far this year compared to the 36 logged in 2022, according to a Dallas Police Department report.