Shooting at Lamar High School leaves 1 student dead, another injured; suspect facing capital murder charge
ARLINGTON (CBSNewsTexas) - A Lamar High School student was killed, and another critically injured when another student opened fire outside the school before 7 a.m. Monday morning.
The student who died was male, and a female was grazed on her cheek. It was the first day back from spring break for students.
Arlington police arrested another student who now faces a capital murder charge. He's a minor and therefore law enforcement officials won't publicly identify him. He's currently at the Tarrant County Juvenile Detention Center. Police said the suspected shooter never entered the building.
"We need our community's help to ensure that guns do not end up on school campuses," said Arlington Police Chief Al Jones. "We need gun owners to step up to be responsible and to ensure that they're properly securing their firearms, so kids don't have access to them."
The school was placed into an immediate lockdown, which lasted several hours following the shooting.
Parents were told they could reunite with their children at the district's athletics center. The first buses of students started arriving around 11:15 a.m.
Police said they still don't know the suspect's motive or how the student got a gun.
Chief Jones said the high school has school resource officers on duty but since the shooting happened before school started, they weren't on campus yet. Their shift starts at 7 a.m.
The school will remain closed on Tuesday. The superintendent said counselors will offer support on campus when school reopens on Wednesday. That evening, at 6:30 p.m., The Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Arlington will hold a mass for victims.