Student killed, another injured in shooting near Arlington high school
ARLINGTON, Texas - A student was killed and another was injured in a shooting near Bowie High School in an Arlington neighborhood Thursday. An innocent bystander was also grazed by a bullet while he was inside his home.
The shooting happened just after school was letting out for the day at the nearby high school. Police said two teens were dropping off a friend at a house on Cliffside Drive when an SUV and a car pulled up behind them and several teens got out.
“There was a verbal argument between the two teens that were shot and these other teens,” explained Arlington Police Lt. Christopher Cook. “At some point, there’s a fight. Three or four of them are fighting in the street. And during this fight, we hear shots fired."
“I heard some gunshots,” said a neighbor who didn’t want her face shown. “It was like one single one. And then it was like a round. Like it sounded like a machine gun or something like that.”
The neighbor said two vehicles sped off and left two teens on the ground. Police said one was fatally shot. The other student was hit in the leg.
“He was trying to get up,” the neighbor recalled. “And the other one was just laying there with his eyes open. He wasn’t moving.”
The student who was killed was identified as 17-year-old Anthony Strather. He played defensive end on the Bowie High School football team.
Tony Strather (Bowie High School)
The school's freshman and JV games were canceled Thursday because of the shooting. Arlington ISD said Friday night’s game will go on as scheduled.
The district said counselors will be at the school Friday to help students cope with the tragedy.
The teen who was injured was taken to Medical City Arlington where police interviewed him about what happened. A man who was hit by a bullet that came into his house is also expected to be okay.
“Sitting on his computer. Heard the shooting, and we believed two rounds entered his residence and struck him,” Cook said. “We believe he’s going to be okay.”
Police canvassed the area for surveillance video and interviewed possible witnesses, but they said many had already left by the time they got there.
“When you have that many people that pull up out of a car, regardless of whether they’re the shooter or not, they need to do the right thing,” Cook said. “They need to come forward.”