There’s Been A Shooting At A Maryland High School This Morning

There’s Been A Shooting At A Maryland High School This Morning

Great Mills High School confirmed the shooting, with a message on its website saying the event is “contained.”

Updates below as they become available. ~TLB ed.

by Amber Jamieson

A school shooting occurred at a high school in Great Mills, Maryland on Tuesday morning.

Great Mills High School confirmed the shooting, with a message on its website saying the event is “contained.”

“There has been a Shooting at Great Mills High School. The school is on lock down the event is contained, the Sheriff’s office is on the scene additional information to follow,” read the school website.

The St Mary’s County Sheriff office confirmed on Twitter there had been an incident at the school, and asked parents to not go to the school, but instead to a nearby high school.

There has been an incident at Great Mills High School. Parents please DO NOT respond to the school. Report to Leonardtown High School

It is unknown if there have been any injuries or fatalities, although local news station NBC 4 Washington tweeted that multiple injuries have been reported.
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UpDate One

Great Mills High School student Mollie Davis, 17, spoke to BuzzFeed News via text from inside her math classroom, where she was in lockdown after the shooting.

“I was in my classroom upstairs, which is next to the stairs. I heard what sounded like a balloon pop and commotion. I thought it was a fight as did my class. A few of them ran out to see and then ran back in saying someone yelled ‘gun’ and people were running out of the school,” said Davis.

“Our teacher came in [and] closed the door,” said Davis. “Someone in my class said that someone popped a balloon behind a girl and she dropped to the ground, so for a moment we all thought it was an elaborate prank.”

Davis said that the school principal then spoke via the loudspeaker, telling students there was no immediate threat but to go on lockdown.

“Even though he said there was no threat we could all tell from his tone of voice something was very wrong,” Davis told BuzzFeed News.

Senior Terrence Rhames, 18, spoke to BuzzFeed News from his home, where he’d gone after the shooting, as he’d instantly recognized the sound of the gun shot.

“Me and a few other friends always meet up in the same area in the morning at school and we were talking and out of nowhere we hear a shot and instantly start running to an exit to get away from the school,” he said.

Rhames told the Baltimore Sun he was outside his first period class at 8 a.m. when he heard a shot. He said he started running to a bathroom, before realizing it was a dead end, and then ran for an exit. He told the Sun he saw a girl fall out of the corner of his eye.

Another student, Jonathan, spoke to CNN from inside his math class where he was in lockdown after the shooting.

“Right now the police are going through classrooms and checking, making sure students are safe. Soon we’re going to be escorted out of the school,” he said.

Last month, police investigated a possible school shooter threat at Great Mills High School, after a Snapchat photo threatening a school shooting circulated.

Principal Jake Heibel released a statement to local media on Feb. 21 about the then-possible shooting risk:

Yesterday we received a report that a student in the hallway during transitions overheard two students mention “shooting” and “school”. We interviewed the student with our SRO, viewed video, interviewed other students, and contacted central office. The threat was not substantiated. Late last night, additional information was circulated quite extensively on social media about a potential threat at school today. Law enforcement was contacted and an investigation was conducted, which included interviews with students and parents to determine the validity of the potential threat. The threat to Great Mills High School has not been validated at this time. However, we will have additional security today and we will continue to investigate the source of the postings.

Last Wednesday, local media covered a group of students who walked out of Great Mills High School for the National School Walkout in protest of gun violence.

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Update 2

Two students were shot in a hallway just before first period began, by a male student wielding a handgun, said St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron at a press briefing.

The female student is in a critical condition, and the male shooting victim is in a stable condition.

The gunman died at a medical center a few hours after the shooting, said the Sheriff.

Cameron explained that the school resource officer on duty heard shots being fired, and then pursued the shooter. The school resource officer fired a round at the shooter and “simultaneously the shooter fired a round as well.”

It is unclear if the shooter fired a round at the officer, or at themselves or someone else. It’s also unclear if the shooter died from a self-inflicted gun wound or from a shot fired by the school resource officer.

“Despite training, you hope you never have to do this,” said the Sheriff.

Cameron confirmed authorities are trying to examine any relationship between the shooter and the victims.

Another press briefing will be held at 1pm ET.

***

Update 3

Two students were injured in a shooting at a high school in Great Mills, Maryland, on Tuesday morning.

A female student, aged 16, is in a critical condition, and the male shooting victim, 14, is in a stable condition. The gunman, identified by authorities as Austin Wyatt Rollins [Pictured left], 17, died at a medical center a few hours after the shooting, said St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron at a press briefing.

The two students were shot in a hallway just before first period began with a Glock semi-automatic handgun, Cameron said.

“If you don’t think this could happen at your school, you are sadly mistaken,” said James Scott Smith, the superintendent of St. Mary’s County public schools, at the press briefing. “What we had this morning is truly our worst fear.”

Cameron said that the school resource officer on duty, Deputy Blaine Gaskill, heard shots being fired, and then pursued the shooter. The school resource officer fired a round at the Rollins and “simultaneously the shooter fired a round as well.”

It is unclear if Rollins fired a round at the officer, at himself, or someone else. It’s also unclear if the shooter died from a self-inflicted gun wound or from a shot fired by the school resource officer.

“Despite training, you hope you never have to do this,” said the Sheriff.

Cameron said there was a prior relationship between Rollins and the female victim, although no further details were given. She is in a nearby hospital with “life threatening, critical injuries,” said the Sheriff.

WUSA9

“We need more than prayers… we’ve got to take action,” said Governor Larry Hogan at a press briefing, adding he wants longer sentences for repeat violent behavior and guns kept away from those with a mental illness.

“It’s outrageous we haven’t taken action yet on something as important as school safety,” added the governor.

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Pictorial content added by TLB

This article (There’s Been A Shooting At A Maryland High School This Morning) was originally created and published by ‘BuzzFeedNEWS‘ and is republished here under “Fair Use” (see disclaimer below) with attribution to author ‘Amber Jamieson‘ and ‘BuzzFeedNEWS‘.

Amber Jamieson is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.

Contact Amber Jamieson at [email protected].

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