Updated Tuesday, March 20, 2018, 2:09 p.m. EDT: The gunman involved in the shooting that left two Maryland high schoolers injured early Tuesday morning has been identified as 17-year-old Austin Wyatt Rollins.
Austin, a student at Great Mills High School, shot a 16-year-old female student before he was shot and killed while exchanging gunfire with a school resource officer.
According to the Washington Post, it is not clear whether Austin was shot by the officer or was hit by one of his own rounds. A male student, 14, was also injured in the exchange of gunfire, although it is not immediately clear by whom.
The two students were rushed to the hospital.
The Post notes that there was a prior relationship between Austin and the 16-year-old girl who was shot. Authorities are investigating whether the relationship had something to do with the shooting.
The girl was stabilized and transferred from MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital to UM Prince George’s Hospital Center. The 14-year-old boy is said to be in “good condition” at MedStar.
Sheriff Timothy Cameron said that there was “no question” that the incident could have been worse if the SRO had not acted. Austin Wyatt Rollins, it is noted, had a Glock semi-automatic handgun on him.
Updated Tuesday, March 20, 2018, 11:48 a.m. EDT: A school shooting in Great Mills, Md., left two students wounded. The shooter was killed after exchanging fire with a school resource officer.
According to NBC Washington, the unidentified shooter, a student at Great Mills High School, pulled out a gun at the beginning of the school day and shot a female student in the hallway. A male student was also shot during the altercation.
St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron told the news station that the girl is in critical condition, while the injured boy is in stable condition. The relationship between the students was not immediately made clear; nor has a motive been indicated.
The school resource officer was not injured in the exchange.
“You train to respond to this and you hope that you never ever have to,” Cameron said. “This is the realization of your worst nightmare—that in a school, that our children could be attacked. And so as quickly … as that SRO responded and engaged, there’s grievous injuries to two students.
“Now begins the second phase of this operation, and that’s the background and the investigation and the attempt for the school to return to normal,” he added.
And I suppose we will also go back to the normal modus operandi, where we extend thoughts and prayers about yet another school shooting, the 16th one this year—while ignoring a large part of the problem, which is gun control and gun access.
And right on cue, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan issued a tweet saying that he is “closely monitoring the situation.”
“Our prayers are with students, school personnel, and first responders,” Hogan said.
Hogan noted later that “thoughts and prayers” weren’t enough, though what will actually be done remains to be seen.
Earlier:
A Maryland school is the latest to go on lockdown after a shooting was reported on-site.
St. Mary’s County Public Schools confirmed Tuesday morning that the Great Mills High School is on lockdown, with members of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office on the scene.
According to CNN, agents from the FBI’s Baltimore field office are also on the scene, and special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Baltimore office are also en route.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been 16 confirmed school shootings.