Twice this week AlertsUSA subscribers were notified of what would turn out to be mass shootings in as many schools.
Dallas, Texas
On Tuesday, AlertsUSA subscribers were informed of reports of gunfire with injuries at Wilmer Hutchins High School, located on the southeast side of Dallas, Texas. In this incident, an armed student, 17-year-old Tracy Haynes Jr., arrived in the school's parking lot just before 1:00 PM, exited his car, and walked directly to a locked side door.
At 1:01 PM, another student opened the locked door from the inside, allowing the suspect to bypass metal detectors and enter the school with a firearm. Moments after entry, Haynes opened fire on a group of male students, wounding four. Haynes can be seen in security footage attempting to shoot a fifth student point-blank, but the gun jammed.
Haynes then exited the school and fled in his vehicle, crashed it, hitched a ride, and was then dropped off and picked up by an unknown associate. During that drive, a video was recorded within which Haynes explains his actions.
“All these ni**ers said they gone kill me, and look what happened..
“I know I was wrong for what I did. I didn’t want to do it, but I had to do it.”
“I won’t let yall kill me, I’m sick of my people getting buried,”
View the video here (X)
Haynes surrendered to police later in the day. He is currently charged with four counts of aggravated assault in a mass shooting and has his bond set at $600,000.
Tallahassee, Florida
On Thursday, AlertsUSA subscribers were notified of a multi-agency response to reports of gunfire at Florida State University in Tallahassee. In this incident, 20 year old Phoenix Ikner, a student at the university and the stepson of a reserve deputy from the Leon County Sheriff's Office, initially opened fire after stepping out of an SUV near the Student Union Building. Ikner then calmly walked in and out of buildings and green spaces, firing at random individuals with a handgun before being confronted by police and then being shot himself.
In total, two people were killed and six others injured.
In addition to the handgun (his stepmother's former service weapon), police also recovered a shotgun and rifle at the scene, leading to speculation he was planning a more comprehensive attack had he not been stopped by so quickly by responding officers..
While the motive behind this shooting remains unclear, numerous news outlets are pushing the narrative that Phoenix Ikner was known for far-right, white supremacist rhetoric on campus.
AlertsUSA continues to monitor the national and international threat environment and will immediately notify service subscribers of any new alerts, warnings, or advisories impacting the overall threat picture for American citizens, as events warrant. |
