Police Shoot Gunman Who Stormed Children's Summer Camp
A man was able to get into a summer camp and tried to get into a classroom containing children aged four to 14 years-old.
Police gunned down an armed man in Dallas after he'd fired shots inside a sports centre where nearly 250 children were attending a summer camp.
The incident took place yesterday morning (13 June) around 8.45am in Duncanville. Thankfully, no children, staff or officers were hurt.
The man entered the lobby of the sports centre with a handgun and fired his weapon while in discussion with a member of staff. He then proceeded to try and enter a classroom where children between four and 14 years old were inside, only to find the door was locked.
According to Duncanville assistant police chief Matthew Stogner, the gunman then fired once at the classroom door before heading towards the gym, which also had children inside.
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At this point armed officers caught up to the shooter and fired on him. He was taken to hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
The children, meanwhile, were moved out of the sports centre to a nearby recreation centre where they were reunited with their parents.
Speaking to NBC5, camp counsellor Naomi Rodgers, 18, said she was with about 40 children who were about to play a game when they heard the gunshot.
“We had to move them all across the room because the building is glass and we had to find a safe space,” Ms Rodgers said.
“The shooter actually came to our door... and he said if we didn’t let him see who he wanted to see he was going to shoot the place up.”
Authorities said they arrived within two minutes of being alerted to the situation.
Police said: “Camp and fieldhouse (sports centre) staff followed lockdown procedures. Due to the clear-headed actions of staff and the quick response time of law enforcement, there were no additional injuries.”
The incident will be investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
With Texas still reeling from the tragic Uvalde mass shooting, where a teenager killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school, Mr Stogner said that police officers at his department had to undergo active shooter training and 'did exactly what they were trained to do'.
“We obviously understand what took place south of us,” Mr Stogner said.
“I can only talk about how we responded here and we did an exceptional job.”
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Simon Catling