Gunman opens fire on Texas summer camp, shot by police

A gunman opened fire on a children's summer camp in Duncanville, Texas. Police arrived very shortly after the incident began and gunfire was exchanged. The shooter was shot and died of his wounds.

Around 250 children at a summer camp in Duncanville, Texas, went on lockdown after a gunman entered the building.  (photo credit: VIOREL MARGINEANU/DREAMSTIME/TNS)
Around 250 children at a summer camp in Duncanville, Texas, went on lockdown after a gunman entered the building.
(photo credit: VIOREL MARGINEANU/DREAMSTIME/TNS)

A gunman opened fire on a children's summer camp containing 250 campers and staffers outside of Dallas, Texas on Monday, US media outlets reported, the latest in a string of shootings across America. He was quickly shot and killed by police.  

The shooting in Texas

At 8:43 a.m. on Monday, the Duncanville Police Department received reports of an armed individual at the Fieldhouse, a sports rec space, and were on the scene within two minutes, the department said in a release. 

In a press conference held on Monday, Duncanville Assistant Chief of Police Matthew Stogner said that the man had entered "through the main lobby doors with a handgun," CNN reported. 

"The suspect went to a classroom, was unable to get inside, and did fire one round into the classroom where there were children inside," Stogner said, according to the report. 

 View from the south of the recently repainted water tower on east side of Clark Road. (credit: WIKIPEDIA)
View from the south of the recently repainted water tower on east side of Clark Road. (credit: WIKIPEDIA)

Naomi Rodgers, one of the Fieldhouse counselors, was in the classroom with her four-to-six-year-old campers when he came to the door.

"He said if we didn’t let him see who he wanted to see he was going to shoot the place up," she told KXAS, an NBC affiliate in Forth Worth. 

He then moved to the gymnasium, where gunfire was quickly exchanged between him and the police and he was wounded. He was then taken to hospital for medical care and eventually died of his wounds, the department added. 

The campers were all four to fourteen years old. None sustained any physical injuries and all were picked up by parents or guardians. 

An outrageous pattern

Just three weeks ago, about 600 kilometers away from Duncanville, 19 students and two teachers were killed in the Uvalde shooting, which broke the fatality record for school shootings since Sandy Hook in 2012. 

A Texas teen was arrested two days later in an alleged copycat attempt.