DALLAS — The students and staff at Wilmer-Hutchins High School were under lockdown for several hours following a shooting that left one student injured and another student in custody. Emotions ran high as parents rushed to the school for answers and to reunite with their children.
"I'm emotionally stressed, I'm drained, I'm frustrated, and I'm angered," said Shareese Johnson, who came to pick up her son.
The Dallas Independent School District tells WFAA messaging went out to parents that the threat was over and the campus was secure. But a number of parents who visited the school early Friday say they didn't get that message.
"The wait is hurting me to the core of my body right now," said Johnson.
The school and district called for patience and time as they employed safety protocols to ensure all students were accounted for and safe. Some parents we spoke with wanted immediate access to their children before the lockdown had been lifted. District staff had parents fill out forms to start the reunification process.
"It's just lack of communication with the parents and keeping us involved in what's going on with our students," said a parent.
Once parents and children were reunited parents wanted to know how the incident happened. How did a gun get in? Why didn't metal detectors go off?
"When we send our kids off to school, we expect them to be safe there," said DeShandra Johnson, another parent.
The district and police agencies promise a full investigation as they expect a whole host of questions from parents.
"I have instructed him to explore every single option to evaluate our vulnerabilities so this does not happen again," said Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde.
DeShandra Johnson and Shareese Johnson were ultimately reunited with their children. They tell us the students are a bit shaken but thankfully 'safe.'
"Somebody almost lost their kid today. It could have been you. It could have been anybody," Johnson told her son.
School mass shootings have all parents fearing the worst and feeling even worse.
What happened at Wilmer-Hutchins was not that. But it was a likely targeted shooting between two students that still brought out a lot of emotion and a lot of questions.
"To know he's okay is a great relief. It's just overwhelming," cried Johnson.