A teenaged boy opened fire near a North Texas high school Monday, killing a fellow student, wounding another and bringing “unfathomable remorse” to campus, authorities said.
The gunfire just outside of Lamar High School in Arlington happened around 6:55 a.m., before many students had arrived on campus for the first day of classes after spring break, officials said.
One student was shot and died of his injuries, Arlington Police Chief Al Jones told reporters.
A female student was grazed by gunfire and had injuries not thought to be life-threatening, he said.
Witnesses called 911 with a description of the shooter and officers arriving at the school saw someone matching that description, Jones said.
“The officers surrounded the individual and took him into custody without incident,” he said.
All three people involved in the shooting are students at Lamar High School, Jones said. Their identities haven’t been publicly released.
The suspect, a teenager, has been charged with capital murder, Jones said. It was not immediately known if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
Police investigate a shooting outside Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas, on Monday.NBC 5
In the early stages of the investigation, Monday’s attack did not appear to be an attempted mass shooting, officials said.
“We don’t believe that this was anything where the student (suspect) was going to try to shoot multiple people at the school,” Arlington police spokesperson Jesse Minton said. “We believe it may have been targeted.”
Teachers knew to immediately usher students into classrooms and close doors as soon as shots rang out, Lamar HS Principal Andy Hagman said.
“I’m very, very proud of our students and how they responded,” Hagman said.
The principal said he felt “just unfathomable remorse” over the shooting.
“Just to think that a young life was lost in such as senseless fashion is just, it’s incredible and it’s incredible when it happens right at your doorstep,” Hagman said. “I’m still numb but I’m thankful that more kids were not hurt and staff were not hurt.”
Classes were canceled Monday and school will not be back in session until Wednesday, officials said.
It was not immediately clear who owned the weapon. The chief reminded parents to keep their firearms safe and way from the hands of children.
“We need gun owners to step up to be responsible and to ensure that they are properly securing their firearms so kids don’t have access to them,” Jones said.
Arlington is a city of about 394,000 located about 20 miles west of central Dallas.
The Associated Press contributed.