Arlington Bowie High School shooting: Student killed, classmate in custody
ARLINGTON, Texas - Arlington police say a Bowie High School student shot and killed a fellow student outside of the school.
The shooting happened around 2:50 p.m. Wednesday near a portable building on campus.
The school was placed on lockdown just as students were about to be let out for the day.
The school resource officers found an 18-year-old student lying on the ground and started CPR until he was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead.
The medical examiner’s office identified the slain student as Etavion Barnes.
Police say the 18-year-old student was shot about five to six times. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Officers say the 17-year-old suspected shooter tried to run away from the school, but police found him near the campus and arrested him.
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Police believe the two knew each other but would not elaborate on a possible motive or what led up to the shooting.
Police also could not say whether the suspect brought the weapon inside the school at any point of the day. The school does have metal detectors.
A book bag was found related to the shooting, but police wouldn’t say whether a weapon was inside it.
"We cannot tolerate this kind of violence in our community," said Arlington Police Chief Al Jones. "We can't tolerate this kind of violence in our neighborhood, and we certainly won't tolerate in our schools."
Since the suspect is 17, he will be booked into jail as an adult. Once he is booked, his name and photo will be released.
Arlington ISD announced all classes at Bowie High School on Thursday would be canceled.
Parent reunification
Families were told to reunite with their kids at a district building miles away from the campus hours after the shooting occurred.
The reunification process happened into the night at the AISD Athletics and Aquatics Center.
All Bowie students who were inside the school were bused to the reunification center. Arlington ISD asked for parents to bring identification. Only people listed as contacts in Parent Self Serve and checked as "can pick up" were allowed to pick up students.
Bowie students who talked to FOX 4 said the whole experience was scary.
"It just feels like more of a dangerous place, I feel a bit more scared now," said Arely Cortes, a senior at Bowie.
"Honestly, I feel like this shouldn't have happened, and I feel like it's a tragedy for everybody else, including their family as well," said senior Khloee Richardson.
For parents, the wait to see their children was a long one.
"I get home, and my daughter texts me saying, ‘Mama, I love you.’ And my heart sank," recalled parent Danielle Carey. "But she's okay, so that's all I care about."
"You never think it's gonna be you," said parent Jennifer Knox. "You never think it's gonna be your student, so that makes it really hard."
The superintendent says there will be counselors on hand for help when classes resume.