Texas Student Shot by Police After Bringing Gun to School

A Texas student was shot and injured on Monday after the student reportedly brought a gun inside school grounds.

On Monday morning, local officers responded to reports of a person with a gun at the Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy campus in Mesquite, Texas. Police said officers were trying to negotiate with the suspect, who has not been publicly identified, when “during the process of negotiating, an officer-involved shooting occurred.”

Monday’s incident marks another school-related incident with a gun. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, an independent, non-partisan organization dedicated to reducing gun violence in the U.S., in 2024 there were at least 25 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 11 deaths and 17 injuries nationally.

Police have not revealed the student’s identity, age, or what the motive may have been. It’s also not clear if the student ever fired their gun.

The student has been transported to a local hospital for treatment. However, the student’s condition is not known.

According to police, no other students or officers were injured.

“We’re just thankful a tragedy was avoided and nothing worse occurred,” Mesquite Fire Department Captain Travis Block said at a news conference.

Newsweek has reached out to the Mesquite police department via an email online form for comment.

Meanwhile, Shubham Pandey, the charter school’s district superintendent, confirmed in a statement on social media that the suspect who brought a gun to the school was a student and that everyone on campus was “safe and secure,” adding that the situation was contained due to their “immediate implementation of our school safety plans and procedures.”

“We have rigorous safety protocols in place to handle such incidents effectively and efficiently to ensure the well-being of our school community. Today, those procedures were tested, and they worked as intended,” school officials said in a statement.

In addition, school officials said they planned to hold classes Tuesday but would provide counseling services to students.

“We certainly understand students have experienced some level of trauma,” a district statement said. “Our students and staff are our ultimate priority.”

Meanwhile, local authorities are still investigating the incident, stating in a press conference that “the incident is still very active.”

Nationally, there have been more than 50 mass shootings so far this year, leaving more than 75 people dead and 175 injured, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA).

Monday’s incident comes after a series of shootings across the U.S. have occurred.

Several people were shot in Kansas City, Missouri, near a parade route following a celebration of the Kansas City Chiefs Superbowl win last week.

A total of 10 to 15 people were shot, including one who died, according to Kansas City, Missouri Police Department Chief Stacey Graves. Two armed suspects were detained after the shooting, according to local police.

In early January, an Iowa high school principal died risking his life to protect students during a school shooting where six others were injured after gunfire broke out at Perry High School. Authorities identified 17-year-old student Dylan Butler as the shooter, who also died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.