Classes have resumed at PTAA after officers fired 19 times at a student who brought a weapon to school.
Mesquite Police released body camera and surveillance video Tuesday of a shooting involving police officers and a 16-year-old student at the Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy on Feb. 19.
Lt. Brandon Ricketts appeared in a community briefing posted on YouTube where the department shared released new details in the investigation along with the video of the shooting.
Ricketts said a school administrator called Mesquite Police at 8:49 a.m. and said a student entered her office with a gun, was threatening himself and others, and refused to put it down.
I’m the assistant principal and a student just pulled a gun. I need someone here now. I am with him. He’s fine. I’m calming him down. I need you to get someone here now.
School administrator on 911 call
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
The administrator said she locked down the campus and could be heard telling the student to put the gun on the ground. When officers arrived minutes later, they observed the administrator in the doorway of her office talking with the student. She told police the student put the gun down on the floor at his feet and that he was sitting on her couch.
Mesquite Police released edited videos recorded by closed-circuit television cameras inside the school along with body cameras worn by officers. In those recordings, officers can be heard talking to the student.
In their negotiations, police asked the student what was going on, if something had upset him and what they could do to help.
"What’s going on today buddy? Can you talk to us? We would like to help you. That’s why we’re here. Has anything upset you today?" an officer was heard saying. "Can you listen to me closely? Please do not reach for that gun, OK? We don’t want anything to happen to you or anyone else. Can you do that for me? What has upset you today? Maybe we can talk about it."
While attempting to talk to the student, police said the boy could be seen on both CCTV and body camera video reaching down to pick up the gun. It was then that Ricketts said one of the officers fired and three shots can be heard in the video.
As things began to unravel, the door to the administrator's office began to close and an officer reached up to open it.
"As the officer pulled the door open, the suspect can be seen on CCTV now standing and facing the officers with the handgun raised toward officers in a shooter's stance. At this time, three officers fired at the suspect," Ricketts said.
The office door then closed fully and police officers continued to try talking with the student, asking him to come out of the office. The student eventually exited and was taken into custody.
Ricketts confirmed the three officers fired 19 times in the incident and that the student's leg was injured in the shooting. The student was briefly hospitalized before being medically released the same day.
Police previously said the teenager never fired his weapon. In the video released Tuesday, Mesquite Police showed a photo of a Rossi .38 Special handgun they said was recovered from the administrator's office along with five rounds. Ricketts said detectives have determined where the student got the gun, but at this time no charges against anyone else are expected to be filed.
"Subsequent interviews with witnesses revealed that the armed suspect came to the school with intentions of harming others," Ricketts said.
The boy's name is not being released due to his age. He was taken to a juvenile detention facility after being released from the hospital and he is being charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault against a public servant and exhibition of a firearm.
PTAA Superintendent Shubham Pandey issued a statement Tuesday after the police released the video.
"The professionalism and courage shown by our administrators and the responding officers under such intense circumstances were nothing short of exemplary," said Pandey. "Their quick thinking and decisive actions ensured the safety of all our students and staff, demonstrating the effectiveness of our emergency response protocols. This incident tested our preparedness, and I am proud to say that our school community responded with remarkable calm and resilience."
The names of the officers involved in the shooting are being withheld. Mesquite Police said one of the officers is an 8-year veteran, another is a 5-year veteran, and the third is a recent transfer to the department with 5 years of policing experience.
Ricketts said the department's investigation into the shooting will be referred to the Dallas County District Attorney for review. The DA's office is also doing an independent investigation into the shooting. The department's internal affairs unit is also conducting an investigation into whether the officers followed department policy.
