Authorities are sharing new details about the terrifying moments a 17-year-old student opened fire inside Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas on Tuesday, injuring four other students in a shooting that unfolded in less than two minutes.
Tracy Haynes Jr. is now charged with aggravated assault mass shooting and is being held at the Dallas County Jail on a $600,000 bond, according to online records.
READ MORE: Student accused in Dallas school shooting walked toward group in hall and opened fire, injuring 4
Dallas ISD Police Chief Albert Martinez walked the public through the incident’s timeline during a press conference, based on video evidence from the school’s surveillance system.
Timeline of the shooting:
- 12:56 p.m. – The suspect parks his vehicle on the north side of the school.
- 12:58 p.m. – He walks around to a locked side door on the west side of campus.
- 1:01 p.m. – A student opens that door from the inside, allowing the suspect to enter.
- 1:02 p.m. – The suspect walks down the hallway toward the cafeteria and opens fire, striking four students.
- 1:03 p.m. – The shooter flees through the same side door, returns to his vehicle, and leaves the scene.
The entire incident, from the time he entered to when he exited, lasted under two minutes.
In addition to the four students who were shot, a fifth student suffered a scrape or bruise while trying to run away, officials said. Two of the shooting victims have since been released from the hospital; the others remain under observation but are expected to recover.
Investigators say the student who let the shooter in violated the student code of conduct and is facing administrative penalties. Criminal charges are also being considered, according to Martinez.
Officials emphasized that all school doors were locked and that the shooter did not enter through the front entrance or pass through metal detectors. The side door was locked, but like many campus doors, it can be opened from the inside due to fire code regulations.
School officials say the response from Dallas ISD police and other law enforcement agencies was immediate. The district is also investigating how surveillance footage from the incident ended up circulating on social media.
Wilmer-Hutchins High School will remain closed through the rest of the week. Staff will return Tuesday, and students are expected back Wednesday, unless the superintendent decides otherwise.
Officials say security will be heightened for the remainder of the school year as staff works to prevent future incidents.
What happened?
The shooting happened just after 1 p.m. on Tuesday and left four students injured. While two of the students were discharged from the hospital by Wednesday, two others remain hospitalized for observation but are expected to recover. A fifth person, a 14-year-old girl, was also taken to the hospital but for anxiety-related symptoms, not injuries from the shooting.
Dallas police quickly responded to the scene, with officers arriving at the school after reports of the shooting. Surveillance footage from the school shows an unidentified student allowing the suspect into the building before the shooting took place. The suspect was later arrested and is being held in Dallas County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault mass shooting, with a bond set at $600,000.
Dallas school officials confirmed that counseling services are being made available for students affected by the incident.
The district’s superintendent, Stephanie Elizalde, also addressed the community, stating that protocols in place at the school were not compromised but declining to provide further details on how the gun made it into the school.