The shooter is dead and two other students were injured after a school shooting at Great Mills High School in Great Mills, Maryland on Tuesday.
The shooter, 17-year-old Austin Wyatt Rollins, has been confirmed dead after being brought to a local hospital, and two other students, a 14-year-old male and 16-year-old female, were injured. The female student was at one point in critical condition, officials reported, and she has since been taken off life support and died.
St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron said the school resource officer fired and exchanged shots with the shooter, who was fatally shot. The SRO is a former SWAT member.
The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office has since reported that the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.
The school resource officer was “alerted and immediately responded and engaged the shooter,” who had a handgun, Cameron said during a second press conference Tuesday. “He fired at the shooter, [and] almost simultaneously the shooter fired.”
“First aid was immediately initiated, to include a tourniquet on the shooter and CPR,” Cameron said.
The Sheriff also said officials are investigating a possible motive, as it is believed there was a prior relationship between the shooter and the female victim.
“Our school resource officer was alerted to the event. He pursued the shooter, engaged the shooter, fired a round at the shooter,” Cameron had said earlier. “The shooter fired a round, as well.”
JUST IN: Shooter in Maryland high school shooting confirmed dead, officials say; shooter was a male student.
Two other students were injured; one is in critical condition. https://t.co/IQhLerpGAY pic.twitter.com/wIbaiB7ElX
— ABC News (@ABC) March 20, 2018
The school went on lockdown Tuesday morning as the news broke across the country. It was initially reported that three people were hurt, including the shooter. No other details were given at that time as to their status, or if there were other injuries or fatalities.
A local ABC affiliate had reported that sources said the alleged shooter – who has not yet been identified – was a student, and that the shooter was one of three injured.
ABC7 also reported that a school resource officer responded and took action to stop the active shooter situation.
BREAKING: Sheriff’s spokeswoman says 3 hurt, including shooter, at Maryland high school shooting.
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 20, 2018
The St. Mary’s County Public School District tweeted around 10 a.m. EST that students were being evacuated and bused to the reunification center at Leonardtown High School’s campus. More than 1,400 students were evacuated.
“The building is orderly and the Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation. We will continue to update as more information becomes available,” the SMCPS district tweeted.
Students are being evacuated from GMHS and being bused to the reunification center at the Leonardtown HS campus. The building is orderly and the Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation. We will continue to update as more information becomes available.
— SMCPS_MD (@SMCPS_MD) March 20, 2018
When news of the shooting first broke, officials had said the event was contained, but there were reports of multiple injuries.
The school district tweeted and confirmed the shooting early Tuesday.
FBI and ATF agents also responded.
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.
Parents/Guardians should go to Leonardtown HS for reunification with GMHS students— SMCPS_MD (@SMCPS_MD) March 20, 2018
Great Mills is about 60 miles southeast of Washington, D.C.
BREAKING: St. Mary’s County Public Schools says there has been a shooting at Great Mills High School in Great Mills, Maryland pic.twitter.com/KgDheMm6II
— CNN (@CNN) March 20, 2018
NBC reported that there were multiple injuries.
Breaking: A shooting investigation is underway at a high school in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. Multiple injuries have been reported. Stay with News4 for more developing details. https://t.co/D40xivrmjE
— NBCWashington (@nbcwashington) March 20, 2018
The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office said an investigation is underway.
The Sheriff’s Office also asked parents not to go to the school, but to report to a nearby school instead.
BREAKING: A school shooting has been reported at Great Mills High School in Maryland. The school is on lockdown, sheriff’s office is on the scene. pic.twitter.com/yGIeLh1wAp
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 20, 2018
School district officials said the event is contained, but no other information was initially available.
This shooting comes a little over a month after the shooting at high school in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead, and it comes days before thousands of students are expected to go to nearby D.C. for the “March for Our Lives” rally, intended to encourage the President to take action to make schools safer.
