DALLAS, Texas (Washington Insider Magazine) – A potential crisis at a children’s sports camp in the Dallas region was immediately halted Monday when officials fatally shot a shooter who had begun firing inside the compound, although no one was injured.
According to authorities, the unidentified individual appeared to fire twice in Duncanville Fieldhouse, a youth athletics and training facility in the same-named community about 13 miles south of Dallas.
According to Duncanville Police Department Assistant Chief Matt Stogner, the armed suspect walked through the facility’s lobby doors and was challenged by a staff person who exchanged gunfire with him.
After failing to gain entry, the alleged shooter walked to a classroom full of children and started firing from the outside, according to the assistant chief.
Children at the facility were placed into a “safe area” which was then sealed as soon as gunshots were heard, Stogner said, steps personnel had been instructed to execute in active shooter situations.
According to him, the suspect walked to the main gym, where children were still present but no bullets were fired, at least until cops came and engaged in the shootout that killed him.
Officers on the scene administered first aid before transporting the man to a hospital, where he was declared dead, according to the assistant chief.
According to Stogner, no one else was hit or hurt but the suspect. Duncanville authorities have never heard of the man, he claimed.
Children attending the complex’s camps range from 4 to 14, according to officials.
Naomi Rodgers, a camp counselor, told NBC affiliate KXAS in Dallas-Fort Worth that she was inside the classroom, which was full of children aged 4 to 6, when the suspect grew interested in it.
According to her, the attacker fired the glass classroom door.
Stogner applauded officers’ quick response for preventing what could have been another horrific tragedy involving innocent children.
Investigators said 911 calls started coming in at 8:43 a.m. regarding a man with a firearm at the Duncanville facility, where around 250 kids were attending camps.
Duncanville police spokesperson Michelle Arias told reporters that police arrived in 2 minutes, stormed the facility, and searched for the armed guy.
Police said the children were evacuated from the building and reunited with their parents at the neighboring Duncanville Recreation Center.
Nearly 3 weeks ago, a shooter opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, roughly 350 miles southwest of Duncanville, killing 2 teachers and 19 students.
