Student opens fire at Maryland school, killed, two injured
Another shooting was recorded in a US school yesterday. A 17-year-old student of Great Mills High School in St Mary's County, Maryland, shot two others before being killed. The girl he targeted previously had a relationship with him, police said. The quick action of a school resource officer, who arrived at the scene within a minute and presumably shot the gunman, stopped the threat.
Shooter opened fire right before classes started
The incident began in the hallway shortly before classes started at 8am. Austin Wyatt Rollins shot the 16-year-old girl he knew, who was critically injured and under treatment. Another 14-year-old boy was injured, but he's stable now. The shooting was over within a minute as Security Officer Blaine Gaskill targeted Rollins, who fired back, but was hit. He died later in the hospital.
Tales of horror from inside the school
As events unfolded, students narrated the horror to media. Mollie Davis communicated from inside a class during lockdown, saying they initially thought someone had popped a balloon to scare a girl. Terrence Rhames, who was talking to friends outside his class when it started, "instantly started running to an exit." Jonathan described how police later went from classroom to classroom, checking on students.
"Why us?"
Local publication reported threats of school shooting a month ago
Incidentally, a local publication called The Bay Net claimed a month ago that parents of Great Mills had reported threats of a shooting circulating on Snapchat. "So there's gonna be a shooting at GMHS within the next few days and kids should stay home?????" a message read. In response, the principal had said the threat "hasn't been validated at this time."
Last month, 17 schools were killed in a Florida school
This came four days before the March For Our Lives, an anti-gun rally partly spearheaded by survivors of the Florida massacre, takes place in Washington. A little more than a month ago, 17 people had been killed in when a former student of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, opened fire in the campus. An investigation has been launched into the Maryland incident.
