Two men were shot in the parking lot of W.H. Bradfield Elementary School in Garland last night, and the person who pulled the trigger was gone before officers arrived. Responding Garland police officers found the men lying in the lot on Bucknell Drive just before 8:30 p.m., one suffering critical injuries and the other with serious wounds.
According to FOX 4, Garland police are still working to identify the shooter or shooters and have not yet determined a motive for the attack. The shooting happened outside the elementary school’s parking lot, though the campus itself was not in session at the time — students had already gone home for the evening, and the gunfire broke out well after school hours ended.
The timing lands squarely in the second full week of classes for Garland Independent School District, which kicked off its 2026–2027 academic year on August 10. Bradfield Elementary, at 3817 Bucknell Drive, has served the neighborhood since 1966 and currently enrolls roughly 525 students from Pre-K through fifth grade, per Garland ISD’s own records.
A Felony Under Texas Law, Even After Hours
Even though students weren’t present, gunfire on school grounds carries specific legal weight in Texas. Under Texas Penal Code § 46.03, intentionally or recklessly bringing a firearm onto the premises of a public K-12 school is a third-degree felony, punishable by two to ten years in prison and fines up to $10,000, according to FindLaw. Whether that statute factors into any eventual charges will depend on what investigators determine once — or if — a suspect is identified…