Four people were injured in a shooting at a high school in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday morning, and authorities said the suspect remained at large.
Arlington police said they received several calls around 9:15 a.m. about a shooting on the second floor of Timberview High School in Arlington, which is attended by about 1,900 students.
According to Arlington Assistant Police Chief Kevin Kolbye, the shooting occurred during a fight in a classroom.
Kolbye said four people were injured, including two students who had been shot. One adult who fell and suffered minor injuries declined treatment, while three students were taken to a hospital.
Police identified 18-year-old Timothy George Simpkins as a suspect and said he may be driving a silver 2018 Dodge Charger with Texas license plate PFY-6260.
Authorities said he should be considered armed and dangerous and that anyone who encounters him should call 911.
“This is not a random act of violence,” Kolbye said. “This is not somebody attacking our schools. … We believe this was a student who got into a fight.”
Kolbye said he wasn’t sure how the shooter got the gun into the school or whether there were metal detectors.
The school was placed on lockdown as officials conducted what Arlington police said was a “methodical” search.
Mansfield ISD said about 11 a.m. that the “all clear” had been given and that students would soon be taken to be reunited with their parents.
School buses could be seen arriving at the school to take the children to the Center for Performing Arts at 1110 W. Debbie Lane.
A number of law enforcement agencies were at the school, including police from Arlington, Grand Prairie, Mansfield and Mansfield ISD, as well as the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“Kids are overwhelmed” as they sit locked in their classrooms, said parent Rosa Linares, whose daughter called to say that there had been a shooting at the school, adding that teachers were doing a great job. “What went through my mind basically was, ‘Is my daughter safe? Is she going to continue to be safe?”