Dallas suspended classes following a suspected school shooting. Emergency personnel were dispatched to the area, and a student suspect who is still at large was sought for.
Four persons were hospitalized on Tuesday afternoon, April 15, 2025, following a shooting at Dallas’ Wilmer-Hutchins High School. Shortly after 1 p.m., police were called to the Langdon Road campus to investigate gunfire.
A student claimed to have heard seven bullets, according to CBS News Texas. Authorities affirmed that the school was safe and that there was no continuing threat around 2:20 p.m.
Three of the four victims were shot, according to the Dallas Fire Department. Their wounds are not thought to be life-threatening. The ages of the fourth victim are unknown, although three of the victims are between the ages of 15 and 18.
They were all transported to local hospitals, such as Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Parkland, and Baylor Scott & White Health.
The culprit, who has been identified as a student, is still at large, according to law enforcement authorities. Authorities have not released any additional identifying information.
Responders from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Dallas police, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) showed up at the school. Aerial footage shows that they evacuated students toward Eagle Stadium to reunite them with their families. At the time, there were about 900 students on campus.
Stephanie Elizalde, the superintendent of Dallas ISD, subsequently declared that classes will not be held for the rest of the week. She also mentioned that staff and students would have access to mental health specialists to help them through the healing process.
Dallas Independent School District (ISD) Assistant Chief of Police Christina Smith said the firearm was not brought in during the school’s “regular intake time,” and emphasized that “it was not a failure” of school staff, protocols, or the detection machinery in place.
Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins told Working for All Alike (WFAA) that “There was a [sic] outside student who probably opened the door to let someone in.”
Governor Greg Abbott released a statement offering support to the school district and law enforcement. He said, “Our hearts go out to the victims of this senseless act of violence at Wilmer-Hutchins High School,” and pledged resources to help locate the suspect.
Students who were there during the incident recounted chaotic circumstances and voiced their worries about Wilmer-Hutchins High School’s history of security lapses.
An 18-year-old student told CBS News Texas she was inside a classroom beside the hallway when the shots rang out. “We heard all the gunshots… like seven,” she said. After being told they could leave the classroom, she saw “a lot of blood on the floor.”
She cited persistent security issues and stated that this was not the first shooting at the school. Students frequently carry firearms on campus, and some have posted pictures of weapons on school property on social media, she said.
Another student, speaking to ABC News, said the group was talking when the first shots were fired. “We were still standing there confused, and then we heard more,”the student said. After seeing students run and hearing screams, they returned to the band room to take cover.
A third student, interviewed by ABC News, said someone in the class saw a bullet hit their door window. “That’s when my heart really sunk,”the student said. This student questioned how a firearm could enter the school and criticized the lack of enforcement: “I feel like the security… they weren’t really like doing their job at the moment.”
Aldo, a senior, told WFAA he knew one of the students who was shot and helped him after the incident. He said the student had been running behind him in the cafeteria. “He was basically asking for help. He was like, ‘Hey, I just—something hit me or something,’ and he just said, ‘Take off my boot so I can see it,’”Aldo recalled.
The pupil had a “big gash or wound on his leg” that Aldo found made it hard for him to move and finally caused him to lose feeling in it. He expressed a sense of comfort knowing that his loved ones were safe and that the situation necessitated immediate action.
There have been previous shootings on campus, according to several students. Three days prior, on April 12, a student from Wilmer-Hutchins had shot another kid inside a classroom, according to Fox News. According to Dallas police, the two were acquainted, and they were both 17 years old.
The April 2024 shooting occurred after a Wilmer-Hutchins student shot another student inside a classroom. Fox News reported that the two people were 17 years old and acquainted.
The shooter managed to enter the school with a weapon in spite of the metal detectors. Elizalde claimed that at the moment, a teacher’s prompt action in escorting the pupil out of the building stopped additional damage.
“He was able to direct the student away from the campus so that he could take care of, first, the injured student and, second, to make sure that the alleged suspect did not enter into the rest of the school building,”she stated.
In that instance, In that case, authorities located the weapon and apprehended the suspect near the stadium.d that the injured student would heal. Parents and children continued to voice worries about security breaches in the wake of that incident.
Angelika Partida, a tenth-grader, said school staff often don’t inspect their backpacks thoroughly. “They just open our backpack like this. They do like this, and they don’t check them all the way through.”
To ascertain how guns were brought in, district authorities said they were examining CCTV footage and school policies.
Acknowledging weaknesses in the system, Elizalde stated, “This is absolutely unacceptable and unimaginable, but it is happening across schools in America, but it is happening across schools in America. It cannot be the normal response. We must use this tragedy to learn something.”
Authorities in Wisconsin are looking into a different case involving the death of a young girl while details surrounding a deadly high school shooting in Texas are still being worked out.
The family of a 14-year-old girl has identified her as the victim of a gunshot death that occurred in Evansville, Wisconsin, on Sunday morning, April 6. After being discovered shot on the 300 block of South Madison Street, the girl, Florencia Henthorn, passed away.
Just before 9:15 a.m., Evansville Police and Fire/EMS emergency personnel arrived. First aid was performed, and the victim was transferred to a local hospital, where she eventually died.
The victim has not yet been officially named by the authorities. However, Florencia’s identity was confirmed by her parents, Jeremiah Henthorn and Natalia Lema.
In a phone interview with WMTV early Tuesday, April 8, Florencia’s parents described their heartbreak. “I have no words, I am devastated,”said Natalia Lema. “I feel like time stopped and I’m lost. Sometimes I don’t know how to feel or what to do.”
Her father, Jeremiah, shared that they are still searching for answers. “She knew I was gonna be there no matter what,” he shared. “I never got a call that day, that was troubling.”
The family described Florencia as a caring and vibrant girl who made a meaningful impact on their lives. Her father expressed, “She mattered, but the world might not see that but she mattered to us.”
He shared that Florencia loved animals, music, her friends, and her family. She was known for standing up for others. “If somebody was the small person or the underdog, she would fight for them,” he added.
Florencia’s mother revealed that her daughter had been looking forward to an important upcoming milestone. “She was about to turn 15 beginning of May and she was looking forward to her quinceañera because she’s Spanish. You know she didn’t get to experience that [sic].”
In a separate video interview, Natalia said, “She just loved everybody. Her family and friends meant everything to her.”
She also recalled their conversation from the morning of her daughter’s death. “She didn’t sound scared, mad, angry, sad, nothing. She sounded normal. I asked her if she was safe. She said, ‘Yes, of course. I’m good.’”
Florencia’s father noted that there were no signs anything was wrong. “If she ever felt scared or anything, she would call me. She never called me,”mentioned Jeremiah.
The investigation is still active and ongoing, according to the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, which was asked to take the lead by the Evansville Police Department.
In relation to Florencia’s death, three people were taken into custody on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 8. Hunter Drefal, age 26, Alyssa Arens, age 20, and William Drefal, age 44, were all arrested, according to authorities.
The Evansville community and beyond have united to support Florencia Henthorn’s distraught family while the investigation into the deadly shooting goes on.
In order to help the Henthorn family with their funeral costs, a GoFundMe page has been established. The campaign raised $13,528 as of Tuesday, April 15, 2025.
The fundraiser, organized by Cori VanGalder, describes the situation as deeply heartbreaking: “14-year-old Florencia Henthorn lost her life on Sunday, April 6th, a victim of gun violence. Please consider donating to help her family lay her to rest. No parent should ever have to plan their child’s funeral, or worry about how to pay for it.”
In an update on the fundraiser, the organizer thanked contributors and shared, “Now that additional details in the case have been uncovered, we would love to donate everything in excess of the funeral costs to one of the Wisconsin organizations that assists families who’ve been affected by domestic and/or sexual abuse, in Florencia’s name, so it lives on. We will continue to collect for this purpose through Thursday, April 9th.”
The day after the shooting, Florencia’s mother posted a heartfelt statement on Facebook along with a picture of herself and her daughter amid the outpouring of sympathy.
Florencia’s boyfriend also honored her in a heartfelt TikTok tribute. Expressing pain and disbelief, he posted, “Lost for words can only sit in silence and think why isn’t she here god why did they do this to my baby… Baby I promise they will pay for what they’ve done to you this isn’t over rest up love until we meet again [sic].”
In the days after her death, relatives and friends came to honor Florencia. Her mother uploaded images from the gathering on Facebook, showing others wearing hoodies in her memory as they remembered the life of the young girl taken too soon.
