“We’re lucky the officer was there. His brave actions saved a lot of lives.”
On Tuesday, a school resource officer at Dixon High School in Dixon, Illinois, shot an armed 19-year-old former student after he opened fire on the officer in the high school gym, where seniors were gathered for graduation practice.
“A 19-year-old former Dixon High student is in custody with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the shoulder after bringing a gun to the school this morning,” Sauk Valley reports.
According to Sheriff John Simonton, school resource officer Mark Dallas confronted the shooter in the high school gym, where the students were gathered for graduation practice, at around 8 a.m., and returned fire after being fired upon. WGN-TV reports that the suspect fired multiple rounds.
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“The officer was not injured, nor was anyone else,” said City Administrator Danny Langloss, whose daughter was one of the seniors gathered in the gym.
“The shooting happened in the gym, where seniors, whose last day of school was Friday, were gathered for graduation practice,” said Langloss. “We’re lucky the officer was there. His brave actions saved a lot of lives.”
All Dixon schools were placed on lockdown while the investigation was being carried out; students were bussed to a safe location where parents have been encouraged to pick up them up.
Sauk Valley reports that Dixon Police believe that “the suspect acted alone and that there is no further threat to the safety of students or staff.”
Reports from local media below:
BREAKING: School shooting at Dixon High School. School resource officer confronted a high-school aged gunman. That teen fired, and the resource officer fired back and hit the gunman. The resource officer was not hit. All Dixon schools now on lock down.
— Courtney Gousman (@cgousman) May 16, 2018
According to a report by @saukvalley media, the suspect in the Dixon School shooting is a 19-year-olf former student of DHS. pic.twitter.com/ixOyLPycSo
— WQAD (@wqad) May 16, 2018
We have some aerial footage of students being bused from @dukesduchesses and the @DixonPolice response. https://t.co/1vuDPYCYs9 pic.twitter.com/0wg4WU2BWb
— WQAD (@wqad) May 16, 2018
The officer was not injured, nor was anyone else, Langloss said.
All Dixon schools are on lockdown while the investigation proceeds; a news conference will be held later today.
Parents can pick their children up at the Armory; bring an ID. https://t.co/rVJMZnvDF2— Sauk Valley Media (@saukvalley) May 16, 2018
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