3 officers fired at 16-year-old student who brought gun into Mesquite school, police say

By Jamie Landers, Hojun Choi and Julia James

MESQUITE — Three officers fired at a 16-year-old student who reportedly brought a gun inside a Mesquite school Monday morning, police say.

About 8:50 a.m., officers were dispatched to the Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy campus in the 3200 block of Oates Drive, near San Marcus Avenue, after a student was reported to be holding a firearm in the school’s office and refusing to put it down. Police said school administrators spoke with the student to try to keep him calm until officers arrived.

When officers arrived, the student was alone in the office, according to police. While trying to negotiate with the student, police said three officers fired at him. The student then complied with commands, the department said, and was taken into custody.

Police did not specify if the student was shot, but said he was taken to a hospital and deemed stable. No other injuries were reported and no additional information about the gunfire was immediately available.

“We are grateful that this incident resulted in no injuries to other students, faculty members, or any officers,” the department wrote in a statement. “Mesquite Police would like to commend the actions of administrators during this event and the school’s adherence to the standard response protocol.

“These actions along with the immediate response from the Mesquite Police and Fire Departments ensured this outcome was not the tragedy that it could have been.”

A news release from the school said officials still intend to review their security procedures and strengthen them if necessary.

“We have rigorous safety protocols in place to handle such incidents effectively and efficiently,” the release said. “Today, those procedures were tested, and they worked as intended.”

Dozens of students and their parents could be seen trickling out of Living Truth Baptist Church at 3130 Moon Drive, the designated reunification center, just before noon Monday.

Sarah Kepilino said her daughter, who is in sixth grade, was taking a math test when the campus was put on lockdown. Kepilino said parents were in a rush inside the church to pick up their children.

“We were just trying to get in there, get our kids and get out of the way,” Kepilino said. ”Some of the kids were more emotional, some were OK, some had no clue what was going on.”

Connie Garcia, whose son is in seventh grade, said she heard from another parent about 10:30 a.m. that something had happened and parents were being instructed to pick up their children.

When Garcia arrived at the school and started hearing rumors about a possible “shooter” inside, she started to panic, she said.

“I went to the front and they told me that they couldn’t give me information,” Garcia said. “That makes it even worse — not knowing.”

Jose Martinez, whose 15-year-old son Aiden is a student at the school, said he was driving to work when he got the notification the school was on lockdown. The moment Aiden mentioned gunshots, Jose said, he turned around and headed to the school.

“I continuously started texting him, telling him ‘Don’t stop texting me, even if it’s OK, just tell me something,’” Jose said.

Aiden said he was also texting his friends, trying to keep them calm as they were “freaking out.” He later learned the student involved was one of his best friends, he said.

“That’s a little heartbreaking as well, to know that that kid would think he would have to do something like this,” Jose said.

Due to his age, the student’s name was not released. The names of the officers who fired were also not released, but police said they included an eight-year veteran, a five-year veteran and an officer-in-training with multiple years of service from another agency.

The Mesquite Police Criminal Investigations Unit and Internal Affairs Unit will investigate the incident. The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office will also conduct an independent investigation, police said.

Staff photographer Elias Valverde II contributed to this report.

This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.