A teenager has been sentenced to five years in prison for a targeted classroom shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School last year that stemmed from a dispute, according to court records.

Ja'kerian Rhodes-Ewing, 18, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the April 12, 2024, shooting at the southeast Dallas campus.

The Rhodes-Ewing shooting occurred one year before another gunman allegedly opened fire inside the same school, injuring four students and a teacher. That incident, which took place this past April, led to 17-year-old Tracy Denard Haynes Jr. being charged with five counts of aggravated assault in connection with the mass shooting.

In the 2024 incident, police said Rhodes-Ewing brought a .38-caliber revolver to school and shot a fellow student in the leg. He fled the scene but was later captured near the school's football stadium, where the firearm was also recovered.

Following the shooting, the school was placed on lockdown. Parents received calls from their children during the incident, but were instructed not to come to campus as the situation remained active. Many expressed fear and frustration, drawing comparisons to past school shootings, including the 2022 tragedy in Uvalde.

At the time, a parent of a 10th grader said her son was shaken up.

"I'm just all upset right now," she said. "Police don't tell us anything."

Another parent said his 11th-grade daughter called him while he was at work.

"I don't need nothing bad happening to my daughter. They won't let me in — we're just waiting right now," he said. "It goes back to Uvalde."

Three days later, students staged a walkout at the school, with at least 50 people gathering outside to protest safety concerns.

• Dallas Police Department
• Texas
• North Texas