The suspect fired at least two shots while inside the Duncanville Fieldhouse, police say, but there were no injuries to students or staff members.
DUNCANVILLE, Texas — Police on Monday shot and killed a man who showed up at a Duncanville summer camp with a gun and then exchanged shots with officers, officials said.
No children, camp staffers, or police were injured in the incident, which unfolded shortly after 8:30 a.m. at the Duncanville Fieldhouse.
The location is an indoor sports and fitness venue where more than 150 children were attending a summer camp.
Police began receiving calls at 8:43 a.m. about a person with a gun and shots being fired, according to police. Officers arrived on the scene at 8:45 a.m. and entered the building.
During a news conference Monday afternoon, police said the suspect, who has not yet been identified, entered the building through the main lobby and encountered a staff member. According to police, there was some sort of conversation between the two that led to the suspect firing off one shot.
The staff member involved was not injured, police said.
Police said the suspect then tried to go into a classroom but was unable to due to the door being locked. The suspect fired one shot into the classroom, which had children inside, according to police. None of the children were injured.
The suspect then went into the gymnasium, where there were also children, police said.
After officers arrived--they found the suspect inside the gymnasium, police said.
Officers "exchanged gunfire with the suspect" and struck him, according to police. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Police said in the news conference that between the time when the suspect entered the gymnasium and when officers arrived, the children were moved from the building.
Mayor Barry Gordon told WFAA that the officers had just recently undergone active shooter training.
"Our officers did not hesitate," Gordon said. "They did what they were trained to do and saved lives."
It is still unclear whether the man was targeting anyone at the fieldhouse, police said. A motive remains to be seen.
Police said the Texas Rangers are conducting the investigation into the shooting between the suspect and officers.
As of Monday--it's not clear how many shots were fired during the exchange of gunfire or how many officers opened fire.
The identity of the man killed was also not released.
Duncanville Police Assistant Chief Matthew Stogner said that they hadn't previously dealt with the suspect to his knowledge.
"We take security very seriously," Stogner. "We obviously understand what took place in Uvalde just south of here--but I can only talk about how we responded here and we did an exceptional job."
Parents were asked to pick up their children at the rec center, located at 201 James Collins Boulevard, about a mile north of the Duncanville Fieldhouse.
Video footage from the scene showed police and police tape surrounding a black SUV in the parking lot. The driver's side door and the back hatch of the SUV were open.
Michael Strickland, whose grandchildren were inside the fieldhouse, told WFAA that he first saw the news about the shooting on Facebook. He rushed to the fieldhouse to make sure they were safe.
"This world we live in now, it's unpredictable," Strickland said. "There's two forces, good and evil. Clearly it shows what side this incident is on."
Jordan Jones, a camper who sheltered in place, told WFAA that he began to pray after hearing the gunfire.
"We all went to the back when we heard a couple of shots," Jones said. "I was just praying that nothing would happen--that he wouldn't come upstairs where we were."
Andrea Harris was picking up her daughter Autumn when the little girl told WFAA that she hid in a men's restroom with others.
"We heard the shooting and then we got scared and everyone started crying," little Autumn said. "They just told us to stay quiet--there were showers in the men's restrooms so we hid in there."
With the Uvalde school shooting still fresh on Texans' minds where 21 were killed--Harris said that she got to the area as quickly as possible to retrieve her daughter.
"You can only sympathize with other people until it happens to you," Harris said.
"Until it happens to you--you don't really know."
Daily summer camp at the fieldhouse will be canceled for the remainder of the week and children will be relocated to other camps if they please.
There were no officers on the premise when the man entered the building--the fieldhouse is operated by the city and is not regularly guarded by police.
In 2019, one person was wounded and another was arrested after a domestic violence shooting at the fieldhouse. Children were also present during that shooting.
City officials said that they upgraded security cameras and active shooter training following that shooting--and said they would be reviewing how they might enhance security at the location after Monday's events.
http://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/duncanville-texas-fieldhouse-summer-campers-moved-from-duncanville-athletic-complex-after-incident-police-say/287-4ddc9d7f-9c9b-4ba3-9c9e-1cce13ac32a7
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