Fifteen-year-old Preston Henry Ralston died on February 13, 2023, after a firearm was accidentally discharged inside a vehicle in the Dalhart High School parking lot shortly after he was picked up from school. Dalhart Independent School District put the campus on lockdown at law enforcement’s request; authorities later confirmed there was no active shooter and the lockdown was lifted. The Dalhart Police Department and the school district conducted an investigation and described the event as isolated, with specific details withheld during the probe.

Preston was born July 23, 2007, in Amarillo and was a student at Dalhart High School. His family said the incident was a tragic accident and asked that those involved be understood as such. The community organized memorials: students and staff wore crimson and cream on February 22, 2023, and the high school encouraged University of Oklahoma gear or those colors the same day. Funeral services were held at St. James Anglican Church, with burial at Memorial Park Cemetery.

If anyone knew Preston, his routines at school, or witnessed the events in the parking lot, please share information that might help clarify what happened.