Student: Boy arrested in school shooting has violent past
DALLAS — A 16-yearold boy accused of shooting a classmate at a Texas high school on Monday had a history of aggressive actions at school, a fellow student said.
The injured student, a 15-year-old girl, was airlifted to a hospital in Dallas following the shooting inside the cafeteria at Italy High School, which is in the small town of Italy about 40 miles south of Dallas. The boy fled after being confronted by a school district official but was later arrested.
Cassie Shook, a 17-yearold junior at the school, told The Associated Press that she was driving up to the building when she saw “the doors fly open and everyone screaming and running out of the building.” She said she was angry when she learned who the suspect was because she’d complained about the boy at least twice to school officials, including to a vice principal.
“This could have been avoidable,” she said. “There were so many signs.”
Shook said she first went to school officials after the boy allegedly made a “hit list” in eighth grade and her name was on it. Then last year, the boy got angry during a class and threw a pair of scissors at her friend and later threw a computer against a wall, she said.
“I ran out of the classroom screaming, telling everyone to hide because I was scared,” Shook said.
Shook said police came to talk to the class after the incident. She said the boy was removed from the school but eventually was allowed back.
Italy Independent School District Superintendent Lee Joffre said the district couldn’t comment on disciplinary actions involving students. Police have not released the boy’s name and didn’t return a message seeking comment about his past.
Shook said the girl who was shot Monday had moved to the school district a few months earlier. Police said the girl was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where a spokeswoman said she couldn’t release any information about the girl’s condition.
The school district of about 600 students is located near the center of Italy, a town of about 2,000 people that dubs itself “The Biggest Little Town In Texas.” Joffre said that about 45 to 55 students are typically in the high school’s cafeteria in the morning for breakfast. He noted that school would be in session Tuesday and that counselors would be available.