A student gunman opened fire
Tuesday at a high school in southern
Maryland, injuring two students
before an armed school resources
officer intervened, authorities said.
The gunman, identified as Austin
Wyatt Rollins, 17, was killed, but St.
Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron
said it was not immediately clear if
the school officer fired the fatal shot
or if the gunman killed himself.
The attack began shortly before
classes were scheduled to start at
Great Mills High, a 1,500-student
school 65 miles south of Washington,
D.C. Cameron said Rollins was armed
with a Glock, semiautomatic
handgun when he shot a 16-year-old
female student in a hallway. A 14-
year-old male student also was shot.
"Our school resource officer was
alerted to the events," Cameron said.
"He engaged the shooter and fired a
round, subsequently the shooter
fired a round as well."
Cameron said it was not clear if the
gunman shot himself or fired at the
resource officer, identified as Deputy
First Class Blaine Gaskill.
The female student was hospitalized
in critical condition, and the male
student was in stable condition,
Cameron said. Gaskill, who was not
injured, followed protocol, Cameron
added.
"This is what we prepare for, this is
what we pray we will never have to
do," Cameron said. "The notion that
this can't happen here is no longer a
notion."
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Cameron said the shooter and the
female victim had a prior
relationship. Authorities were
reviewing social media posts to
"piece together" a possible motive
for the shooting, he said. He asked
that no one jump to conclusions
until the investigation is concluded.
"We are a very tight-
knit community," Cameron said. "So
now what I would ask our
community to do is pray for the
victims."
The shooting took place less than a
week after some Great Mills students
joined tens of thousands of students
across the nation in a walkout to
protest gun violence. The walkout
was spearheaded by survivors of the
Valentine's Day rampage at Marjory
Stoneman Douglas High School in
Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 students
and faculty
Parkland teens expressed solidarity
Tuesday with the students at Great
Mills on Twitter.
"Less than a WEEK ago Great Mills
High School students walked out
with us to protest gun violence...now
they’re experiencing it for
themselves," tweeted Jaclyn Corin.
"The state of our country is
disgusting - I’m so sorry, Great
Mills."
Tweeted Emma González: "We are
Here for you, students of Great Mills
together we can stop this from ever
happening again."
The shooting also took place less
than a month after Great Mills High
School Principal Jake Heibel told
parents that officials had
investigated threats of a possible
shooting. Law enforcement was
contacted, and the threat was "not
validated," Heibel told parents.
On Tuesday, the school was placed
on lockdown immediately following
the shooting. "There has been a
shooting at Great Mills High School,"
the school district said in a
statement on its website. "The school
is on lockdown (and) the event is
contained. The Sheriff's office is on
the scene, additional information to
follow."
Dozens of law enforcement vehicles
surrounded the school on a cold,
rainy day. The St. Mary's County
Sheriff's Office urged parents to
gather at another school in the
county to reunite with their
children.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms said special agents from
Baltimore and Hyattsville joined the
investigation. Gov. Larry Hogan said
State Police were ready to provide
support and that his office was
monitoring the situation. "Our
prayers are with students, school
personnel, and first responders," he
said.
Jill Morris, president of the county
education association, called the
shooting "devastating" for the
school's students.
"We are resolved to provide all the
support and comfort we can to our
colleagues and neighbors ... while
we work together toward a day
when no school community ever has
to experience this type of tragedy,"
she said.
source:https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/20/shooting-reported-maryland-high-school/440981002/
cc:OAM4J , Mynd44

That's the way to go

Up Trump

All enemies of Trump should hide their faces

Americans' love for guns is preposterous!

the gunman needed to complete one more mission in Africa, very sad indeed

Karlovich:
the gunman needed to complete one more mission in Africa, very sad indeed