By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News
thobbs@dallasnews.com
An off-duty Dallas school district employee visiting Umphrey Lee Elementary School accidentally shot himself about 7:30 a.m. Monday and faces a felony charge, a spokesman said. No students were hurt.
Umphrey Lee Elementary School
The maintenance worker, whose name was not released, suffered an injury to the upper leg but was able to walk to an ambulance afterwards, Dallas ISD spokesman Jon Dahlander said. He added that he was unaware of the condition of the employee, who was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital.
Dahlander said that the employee, who had taken the day off work, was visiting his grandchildren at the South Oak Cliff campus before the school day began. The man had helped the principal with some packages before visiting with a custodian in his office.
The shooting occurred when the man leaned over to look out of the custodian's doorway, Dahlander said. He apparently had a gun in his pocket or tucked in his pants, he said.
"He told the custodian, `Can you call 911, I just shot myself,' " Dahlander said.
The custodian called for the principal and then 911 was called.
Dahlander said no one else was injured and no students were in the immediate vicinity of the shooting.
Dahlander said DISD police will file 3rd-degree felony charges against the man, who he said is about 52, for having the weapon on campus. The employee is also on leave from the district, and Dahlander said he understands that the district is already moving to terminate the employee.
"You cannot have a firearm on school campus," Dahlander said. "It did not appear that he was there to use the weapon on anybody at the school, he was just visiting with people."
The school remains open while school district police investigate.
Umphrey Lee does not have metal detectors, said parents familiar with the school.
John Thomas, the grandparent of fifth-grader Steven Green, arrived with the youngster hours after the shooting. The boy was late because of a doctor's appointment.
"Nobody should bring a gun into school," Thomas said. "After all the shootings that have happened in the past, this shouldn't happen.
"This is supposed to be a place of safety."
Staff Writers Avi Selk and Chris Dell contributed to this report