School shooting in Arlington, Texas: Lamar High School student shot dead as minor shoots at two teenagers

Arlington, TX — A student was arrested Monday morning on murder charges after a student opened fire at a Dallas-area school, killing one and injuring another, police said.

Police and school district officials said the shooting began around 6:55 a.m. on a high school campus outside Arlington, with many students returning to classes on the first day of spring break.

Arlington Police Chief Al Jones said Monday that a male student who was shot died in a hospital and a female victim was receiving medical care after being “grazed” by shrapnel, but suffered non-life-threatening injuries. He did not disclose his age or grade.

At an afternoon press conference, Jones said another male student was arrested at the scene and charged with murder. The police chief declined to identify the suspect because he was underage, but said he was being held at a juvenile detention center in the area.

The shooter fled the scene without entering the Lamar High School building and was detained “within minutes” by responding officers, Jones said.

He said investigators recovered the gun used in the shooting, but the shooter’s motives and where he got the gun remain unclear.

Police officers normally stationed at the school were not there during the shooting, which began just before the officers started duty, Jones said.

Arlington Independent School District spokeswoman Anita Foster said the school was on lockdown during the shooting, but school buses and other arriving students were diverted from the campus before classes began. It said it completed the search of the school at 10:40 a.m.

Superintendent Marcelo Cavazos said school officials began reuniting students who had taken refuge inside the building with their parents and guardians around 11 a.m. He said there will be no classes on Tuesdays and counselors will be available to students and staff on Wednesdays.

In Texas, a person convicted of murder can be sentenced to death. Prosecutors make the final decision on what charges to pursue in a case. They are not always the same charges brought at the time of arrest.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.