A gunman who attacked a summer camp in Duncanville on Monday is dead after being shot by police.
About 250 children were in the Duncanville Fieldhouse camp, which was closed after the gunman fired. Police said the attacker tried to enter a classroom, but the door was locked. No children, employees or police were injured, Duncanville Assistant Chief of Police Matthew Stogner told a news conference.
Stogner said police responded to the field house at 1700 on S. Main Street at 8:45 a.m., two minutes after receiving calls about the shots. The field house was the site of a summer camp for children between the ages of 4 and 14, he said.
During a search, police confronted the assailant and shot him. Police provided medical assistance and the attacker was taken to hospital, where he later died. The man’s name was not released and his motive was not specified.
Stogner said that because a police officer was involved in the shooting, the investigation will be led by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Police said the man entered the field house through the main door of the lobby with a gun. He exchanged words with a camp employee and fired a cartridge, prompting calls to police.
Councilors at the camp moved the children to a safe area and began locking the doors, Stogner said. The gunman tried to enter a classroom, but was unable to enter because the door was locked, Stogner said. He fired at the door of the classroom, where there were children inside, he said.
Naomi Rodgers, a counselor at the camp, told KXAS-TV (NBC5) that she was working with about 40 children and they would be playing a game when they heard the shot.
“We had to move them all across the room because the building is glass and we had to find a safe place,” Rodgers told NBC5. “The shooter actually came to our door … and said that if we didn’t let him see who he wanted to see, I would shoot the place.
The gunman then moved to the gym and faced police, Stogner said.
The children were reunited with their parents with the help of Duncanville ISD and DeSoto and Cedar Hill police departments, Stogner said.
The incident comes almost three weeks after the Uwalde massacre, where 21 people, including 19 children, were killed at Rob Elementary School. Stogner said the staff recently received active shooting training and “did exactly what they were trained to do.”
“Obviously we understand what happened south of us,” Stogner said. “I can only talk about how we reacted here and did a great job.
Duncanville City Manager Aretha R. Ferrell-Benavides said the city will work with parents to find a new place for the summer camp and that sessions are likely to resume later this week.
“We want to make sure they feel comfortable and safe returning to this place,” she said.
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