Four Hospitalized in Wilmer-Hutchins High School Shooting; Student Suspect Still at Large

A shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 15, 2025, left four people hospitalized and prompted a lockdown of the campus. Police responded to reports of gunfire shortly after 1 p.m. at the school on Langdon Road. Authorities are actively searching for a student suspect who fled the scene.

According to CBS News Texas, a student reported hearing seven shots. By 2:20 p.m., authorities confirmed the school was secure and there was no ongoing threat.

The Dallas Fire Department said three of the four victims were shot. Their injuries are considered non-life-threatening. Three of the victims are between 15 and 18 years old; the fourth person’s age is unconfirmed.

All were taken to nearby hospitals, including Baylor Scott & White Health, Parkland, and Methodist Dallas Medical Center.

Law enforcement sources reportedly said that the suspect, identified as a student, remains at large. Authorities have not released further identifying details.

Emergency responders, including Dallas police, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), arrived at the school. Aerial images showed students being evacuated toward Eagle Stadium for reunification with families. Roughly 900 students were on campus at the time.

Following this, Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde later announced the cancellation of classes for the remainder of the week. She added that mental health professionals would be available to support students and staff during the recovery 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 witnessed the shooting described scenes of chaos and raised concerns about repeated security failures at Wilmer-Hutchins High School.

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 said this was not the first time a shooting had occurred at the school and pointed to ongoing security concerns. According to her, it is not uncommon for students to bring firearms onto campus, and some have shared images of weapons on school grounds via social media.

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.”

A shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, left four people hospitalized and prompted a large emergency response. Police were called to the campus on Langdon Road shortly after 1 p.m. following reports of gunfire. A student suspect is still at large.

Aldo, a senior at the school, told WFAA he knew one of the victims and stepped in to help after the shooting. He said the student had been running behind him in the cafeteria when he was struck.

“He was basically asking for help,” Aldo recalled. “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 said he discovered a severe wound on the student’s leg that eventually caused him to lose feeling in it. He described the moment as one that required instinctive action, adding that he now feels more at ease knowing his loved ones are safe.

Some students noted this was not the first shooting on campus in recent days. According to Fox News, just three days earlier—on April 12—a student shot another inside a classroom. Dallas police said both students were 17 and knew each other.

The April 2025 shooting follows a similar incident in April 2024, when another Wilmer-Hutchins student shot a peer inside a classroom. Despite the presence of metal detectors, the shooter in that case was able to bring a handgun onto campus.

Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said a teacher’s quick thinking in the 2024 incident helped avoid further tragedy by directing the student away from the building.

“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 said.

The suspect in that incident was apprehended near the school stadium, and the weapon was recovered. The injured student survived. Following the event, parents and students raised renewed concerns about campus security.

Tenth-grader Angelika Partida told reporters that staff rarely conduct thorough bag checks. “They just open our backpack like this. They do like this, and they don’t check them all the way through,” she said.

District officials said they are reviewing surveillance footage and school security procedures to determine how the shooter managed to bring a weapon inside.

Acknowledging lapses in safety, Superintendent Elizalde stated, “This is absolutely unacceptable and unimaginable. But it is happening across schools in America. It cannot be the normal response. We must use this tragedy to learn something.”

As details continue to emerge in the Texas high school shooting, authorities in Wisconsin are also investigating a separate tragedy involving a teenage girl.

On Sunday, April 6, a 14-year-old girl, Florencia Henthorn, was found fatally shot on the 300 block of South Madison Street in Evansville, Wisconsin. Her family has identified her as the victim. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death is ongoing.

Emergency responders from Evansville Police and Fire/EMS arrived shortly before 9:15 a.m. First aid was provided, and the victim was transported to a local hospital, where she later died.

Authorities have not yet formally named the victim. 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 Rock County Sheriff’s Office reported that the Evansville Police Department requested them to lead the investigation, which remains active and ongoing.

On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 8, three individuals were arrested in connection with Florencia’s death. Authorities confirmed the arrests of 26-year-old Hunter Drefal, 20-year-old Alyssa Arens, and 44-year-old William Drefal.

As the investigation into the fatal shooting continues, the Evansville community and beyond have come together to support Florencia Henthorn’s grieving family.

A GoFundMe page has been launched to assist the Henthorn family with funeral expenses. As of Tuesday, April 15, 2025, the campaign had raised $13,528.

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.”

Amid the wave of support, Florencia’s mom shared a deeply emotional message on Facebook the day after the shooting, accompanied by a photo of herself with her daughter.

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, family and friends gathered to remember Florencia. Her mother posted photos from the gathering on Facebook, showing people wearing hoodies in her memory as they honored the life of the young girl taken too soon.