(CNN) A 17-year-old male student shot two other students at Great Mills High School in Maryland on Tuesday morning before a school resource officer engaged him and stopped the threat, authorities said.
The incident began in a school hallway at 7:55 a.m., just before classes started. Authorities say Austin Wyatt Rollins, armed with a handgun, shot a female and a male student. The shooter had a prior relationship with the female student, St. Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron said.
School resource officer Blaine Gaskill responded to the scene in less than a minute, the sheriff said. Gaskill fired a round at the shooter, and the shooter fired a round simultaneously, Cameron said.
Rollins was later pronounced dead. Gaskill was unharmed. The 16-year-old female student is in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, and the 14-year-old male student who was shot is in stable condition.
Cameron said he was not sure whether Gaskill's bullet hit the suspect, but he praised the officer's quick response to the situation.
Read More
1/50 20 March 2018 People carrying luggage leave the Russian Embassy in London and board a van bearing diplomatic plates. Dozens of people including adults with children arrived at the Russian embassy in the morning and then left carrying luggage in vehicles bearing diplomatic registration plates. Britain last week announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats over the spy poisoning row, prompting a tit-for-tat response from Moscow. AFP/Getty
2/50 19 March 2018 The Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft is mounted on the launch pad at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan AFP/Getty
3/50 18 March 2018 President Vladimir Putin walks out of a voting booth at a polling station during Russia's presidential election in Moscow. AFP/Getty
4/50 17 March 2018 People take part in a pensioners protest to demand decent pensions in Barcelona. Thousands of people across the country took part in mass demonstrations called by main Spanish workers unions demanding rises of state pensions in accordance with the consumer price index AFP/Getty
5/50 16 March 2018 Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Almazov National Medical Research Centre in Saint Petersburg. AFP/Getty
6/50 15 March 2018 Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council in Moscow. Reuters
7/50 14 March 2018 German Chancellor Angela Merkel is sworn in by the President of the German lower house during the government's swearing-in ceremony at the Bundestag in Berlin. Merkel, head of the Christian Democratic Party CDU, starts her fourth term as German chancellor, capping months of political uncertainty as she bartered with her rivals of the SPD to help govern Europe's top economy in a "grand coalition". AFP/Getty
8/50 13 March 2018 Nepali students of University of Dhaka light candles in memory of the victims of the US-Bangla aircraft crash in Nepal, Bangladesh. Reuters
9/50 12 March 2018 Rescuers work to save passengers from a plane crash at Kathmandu airport in Nepal. AP
10/50 11 March 2018 French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron pose for photographs as they visit the Taj Mahal. AFP/Getty
11/50 10 March 2018 France’s far-right party Front National (FN) president Marine Le Pen applauds former US President advisor Steve Bannon after his speech during the Front National party annual congress, in Lille, northern France. AFP/Getty
12/50 9 March 2018 A television screen showing pictures of US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un at a railway station in Seoul. AFP/Getty
13/50 8 March 2018 Protesters form triangles with their hands during a demonstration for women’s rights in Bilbao, Spain. Reuters
14/50 7 March 2018 A labourer works on a salt pan in the outskirts of the Nagaur district in the Indian state of Rajasthan ahead of International Women’s day. AFP/Getty
15/50 6 March 2018 Sri Lanka's army soldiers and police personnel stand near a vandalised building in Digana, a suburb of Kandy. Extremists Buddhist mobs swept through the town on Monday, burning at least 11 Muslim owned shops and homes. Sri Lanka's president declared a state of emergency Tuesday amid fears that anti-Muslim attacks in the central hill town could spread. AP
16/50 5 March 2018 Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives for the opening of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The NPC has over 3,000 delegates and is the world's largest parliament or legislative assembly though its function is largely as a formal seal of approval for the policies fixed by the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. The NPC runs alongside the annual plenary meetings of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), together known as 'Lianghui' or 'Two Meetings'. EPA
17/50 4 March 2018 Female protestor stands up with the words 'Berlusconi Sei Scaduto' written on her body, translating as 'Berlusconi, you’ve expired', as Silvio Berlusconi stands during voting of the political and regional elections in Milan, Italy. Rex
18/50 3 March 2018 Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a rally to support his bid in the upcoming presidential election at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Reuters
19/50 2 March 2018 A light turns red outside of Germany's Krupp Mannesmann steel factory. German officials and industry groups warned U.S. President Donald Trump that he risks sparking a trade war with his closest allies if he goes ahead with plans to impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. AP
20/50 1 March 2018 People dance during Holi festival celebrations in Kathmandu, Nepal. EPA
21/50 28 February 2018 Indian fans watch as the funeral procession of the late Bollywood actress Sridevi Kapoor passes through Mumbai. AFP/Getty
22/50 27 February 2018 Candles are left in tribute to murdered Slovakian investigative reporter Jan Kuciak, 27, and his fiancee Martina, 27, at Slovak National Uprising Square in Bratislava. A leading Slovak newspaper says organised crime may have been involved in the shooting death that shocked Slovakia. The bodies of Kuciak and Kusnirova were found Sunday evening in their house in the town of Velka Maca, east of the capital. AP
23/50 26 February 2018 Colosseum during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy. REUTERS/Alberto Lingria
24/50 25 February 2018 Family members of victims of the sunken South Korean naval ship Cheonan by a North Korean attack hold up defaced portraits of Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party Central Committee, during a rally against his visit near the Unification bridge in Paju, South Korea. A North Korean high-level delegation led by Kim arrived to attend the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The signs read: " Let's punish Kim Young Chol." Getty
25/50 24 February 2018 Ivanka Trump (C) cheers while sat between former Olympic US bobsledders Shauna Rohbock (L) and Valerie Fleming (R) as the United States beat Sweden in their Men's Gold Medal Curling match at the Gangneung Curling Centre in Gangneung, South Korea. Ivanka Trump is on a four-day visit to South Korea to attend the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Getty
26/50 23 February 2018 David Allen Turpin (C), who along with Louise Anna Turpin is accused of abusing and holding 13 of their children captive, appears in court with attorneys David Macher (L) and Alison Lowe in court in Riverside, California. According to Riverside County Sheriffs, David Allen Turpin and Louise Anna Turpin held 13 malnourished children ranging in age from 2 to 29 captive in their Perris, California home. Deputies were alerted after a 17-year-old daughter escaped by jumping through a window shortly before dawn, carrying a de-activated mobile phone from which she was able to call 911 for help. Responding deputies described conditions in the home as foul-smelling with some kids chained to a bed and suffering injuries as a result. Adult children appeared at first to be minors because of their malnourished state. The Turpins were arrested on charges of torture and child endangerment. Getty
27/50 22 February 2018 The Elephanta Island, home to the famous Elephanta Caves, finally gets electricity after a wait of 70 years. Seventy years after Independence, a 7.5-km long undersea cable has finally brought electricity to the world-famous Gharapuri Isle, which houses the UNESCO World Heritage site Elephanta Caves, about 10-km from Mumbai, India. Getty
28/50 21 February 2018 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pays his respects at the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar. Trudeau and his family are on a week-long official trip to India. Getty
29/50 20 February 2018 Members of the Syrian civil defence evacuate an injured civilian on a stretcher from an area hit by a reported regime air strike in the rebel-held town of Saqba, in the besieged Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus. AFP/Getty
30/50 19 February 2018 A Thai Navy instructor demonstrates how to catch a snake during a jungle survival exercise as part of the "Cobra Gold 2018" (CG18) joint military exercise with US soldiers, at a military base in Chonburi province, Thailand. Reuters
31/50 18 February 2018 Children play outside their destroyed school in the Frikeh village, in Idlib, north-western Syria
32/50 17 February 2018 A pro-Kurd demonstrator attends a protest demanding the release of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan in Strasbourg, France
33/50 16 February 2018 Joe Zevuloni mourns in front of a cross placed in a park to commemorate the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida Reuters
34/50 15 February 2018 South Africa's new president Cyril Ramaphosa holds up his right hand as he is sworn into office AFP/Getty
35/50 14 February 2018 The African National Congress’s (ANC) treasurer general Paul Mashatile (left) and parliamentary chief whip Jackson Mthembu address a media briefing, after an emergency ANC caucus meeting on 14 February in Cape Town. South Africa’s parliament will hold a vote of no-confidence in President Jacob Zuma on 15 February, the ruling ANC party said, signalling its determination to eject him from office after days of stalemate AFP
36/50 13 February 2018 North Korean cheerleaders are surrounded by media as they attempt to walk on Gyeongpo beach in Gangneung, South Korea AFP/Getty
37/50 12 February 2018 Former US President Barack Obama unveils his portrait at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC AFP/Getty
38/50 9 February 2018 US Vice President Mike Pence and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's sister Kim Yo-Jong attend the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games AFP/Getty
39/50 8 February 2018 Bangladesh police charge towards activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party protesting following a verdict against opposition leader Khaleda Zia in Dhaka. The ex-Prime Minister of Bangladesh was jailed for five years on corruption charges. AFP/Getty
40/50 7 February 2018 Rescue services search for people in a damaged building in eastern Taiwan after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit Hualien on the night of 6 February, 2018. Media reports said several buildings were damaged and at least four people were killed and some 100 were injured during the quake. Teams are trying to rescue people inside the buildings. Some bridges and roads are damaged and the main road to Hualien is closed. More than 100 earthquakes have hit off Taiwan's east coast in the past three days. The Seismological Observation Center said they are cuased by the friction between the Philipine Plate and Eurasian Plate. EPA
41/50 6 February 2018 Anti-North Korean protesters push against police as a ferry carrying a North Korean art troupe for the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games approaches the port of Mukho in Donghae. Around 120 North Korean art performers in matching red coats and fur hats left for the South, its state media said on February 6, the latest in the flurry of cross-border exchanges in the run-up to the Pyeongchang Olympics. AFP/Getty
42/50 5 February 2018 Philadelphia Eagles' Nick Foles celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LII. Reuters
43/50 4 February 2018 Authorities investigate the scene of a fatal Amtrak train crash in Cayce, South Carolina. At least two were killed and dozens injured. The State via AP
44/50 3 February 2018 Members of security services react as a man in the crowd tries to shake hands with French President Emmanuel Macron, who walks next to Senegalese President Macky Sall in a street of Saint-Louis, Senegal. Reuters
45/50 2 February 2018 County Sheriffs restrain Randall Margraves, the father of three daughters who were abused by Larry Nassar, after he tried to attack the former team USA Gymnastics doctor who pleaded guilty in November 2017 to sexual assault charges, during victim statements of his sentencing in the Eaton County Circuit Court in Charlotte, Michigan. REUTERS
46/50 1 February 2018 Abu Rabih, 65, walks through the rubble with his eight-year-old grandson Yahya following air strikes by regime forces which hit the building where they live in Arbin, in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. Arbin is in the Eastern Ghouta region which has been under government siege since 2013. AFP/Getty Images
47/50 31 January 2018 A 'Supermoon' shines its blood red colors during a full eclipse above the Big A Sign of Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. A 'Supermoon' commonly is described as a full moon at its closest distance to the earth with the moon appearing larger and brighter than usual. EPA
48/50 30 January 2018 A man wears a mask among fellow supporters as Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga (not pictured) takes a symbolic presidential oath of office in Nairobi. Reuters
49/50 29 January 2018 Tractors are parked outside a meeting of European Union agriculture ministers during a protest by Belgian farmers in Brussels. Reuters
GREAT MILLS, Md. -- A teenager with a handgun opened fire inside his Maryland high school Tuesday before he was fatally wounded during a confrontation with a school resource officer, a sheriff said. Deputies and federal agents converged on the crime scene at Great Mills High School, about 65 miles southeast of Washington.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the shooter took his own life or was killed by the officer's bullet, St. Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron said.
A 16-year-old girl, later identified as Jaelynn Willey, was hospitalized with a life-threatening wound, the sheriff said, and a 14-year-old boy also suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh. He was in good condition. The officer, who doubles as a SWAT team member, was unharmed.
Cameron identified the suspect as 17-year-old student Austin Wyatt Rollins. He said Rollins used a Glock semiautomatic handgun to shoot the girl, who he had a prior relationship with.
St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office
A school resource officer, Deputy First Class Blaine Gaskill, then faced off with the shooter, the sheriff said. Each fired one shot simultaneously. Cameron said the gunman later died from his wounds. He said that the investigation would determine whether the round the officer fired hit the shooter.
Cameron said he didn't know the nature or extent of the relationship between the suspect and the girl. Investigators are working to determine whether that was part of the motive.
"This is something that we train, practice, and in reality we hope would never come to fruition, it is our worst nightmare," Cameron said at a press conference Tuesday.
Responding to a question from CBS News' Jeff Pegues, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said it's possible the actions of the school resource officer may have saved others' lives.
"It sure sounds like this is exactly the way it should have been handled," Hogan said.
St. Mary's schools superintendent James Smith also praised the actions of the school resource officer, as well as first responders and school staff. He said the county has re-engaged in a conversation about school safety after the school shooting that left 17 dead last month in Parkland, Florida.
"If you don't think this can't happen at your school, you are sadly mistaken," Smith said.
Officers in St. Mary's have undergone additional training to prepare individual officers to confront shooters, according to Cameron. He said that while he couldn't speak to the shooter's motive or target, "What we do know is the [school resource officer] did his job, engaged, and stopped the potential threat."
Politicians responded swiftly, acknowledging that this shooting increases the pressure for action against gun violence as anger swells nationwide over the Parkland killings by a teenager with an assault weapon.
However in this case, it appeared that the shooter had illegally possessed the gun. In Maryland, a person must be 21 to possess a handgun, unless carrying one is required for employment.
St. Mary Co. Sheriff Tim Cameron on shooting at Great Mills HS: shooting happened in hallway; shooter, a student, fired at a female student, another was student hit. Armed school resource ofc, a deputy, exchanged shots w/ shooter; shooter & female student in critical condition — Peggy Fox (@PeggyTV) March 20, 2018
Student Mollie Davis told CBS News over Twitter that she heard what sounded like a loud balloon pop.
"I was in my classroom and heard everyone screaming," Mollie said. "I've never heard people sound so scared."
Police officers told students that the threat was over and the school would be evacuated soon, the student said.
The Baltimore Sun reported that a student said the shooting happened around 8 a.m. Terrence Rhames, 18, told the Sun that he heard a gunshot and saw a girl fall as he ran for an exit. "I just thank god I'm safe," Rhames said. "I just want to know who did it and who got injured."
Agents with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined deputies at Great Mills High School as students endured a lengthy lockdown, cowering inside classrooms and a locker room while officers worked to make sure there were no more threats on campus.
Police eventually kicked in the locker room door, said Ziyanna Williams, a 14-year-old ninth-grader.
"They came in with guns, and they probably thought there might be another shooter, of course," she said. "About an hour or two later they came -- more police came -- and told us they would search us and search our bags and stuff."
Eventually, the students were escorted outside.
The school has about 1,600 students and is near the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. On Tuesday, ambulances, firetrucks and other emergency vehicles crowded the parking lot and the street outside, where about 20 school buses lined up in the rain to take students to nearby Leonardtown High School to be picked up by their parents.
Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer said the officer at the school "answered the call this morning with swiftness, professionalism, and courage." He said it's now for Congress to take action.
"We sympathize. We empathize. We have moments of silence. But we don't have action," Hoyer said. "Wringing our hands is not enough."
A teenager with a handgun shot a girl inside his Maryland high school Tuesday before he was fatally wounded during a confrontation with a school resource officer, a sheriff said.It wasn't immediately clear whether the shooter took his own life or was killed by the officer's bullet, St. Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron said.The 16-year-old girl was hospitalized with a life-threatening wound, the sheriff said. A 14-year-old boy also suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh, but it wasn't clear who shot him. He was in good condition. The officer, who doubles as a SWAT team member, was unharmed.Politicians responded swiftly, acknowledging that this shooting increases the pressure for action against gun violence as anger swells nationwide over the Valentine's Day killings of 17 people at a Florida high school by a teenager with an assault weapon.However in this case, it appeared that the shooter had illegally possessed the gun. In Maryland, a person must be 21 to possess a handgun, unless carrying one is required for employment. The shooter was identified 17-year-old Austin Rollins.Authorities believe he had a prior relationship with the girl but a motive wasn't immediately clear.The sheriff praised the officer, Deputy Blaine Gaskill, a six-year veteran in his first year at the high school, for containing the situation in less than a minute."He had to cover significant ground," Cameron said. "The premise is simple: You go to the sound of gunfire."Agents with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined deputies at Great Mills High School as students endured a lengthy lockdown, cowering inside classrooms and a locker room while officers worked to make sure there were no more threats on campus.Police eventually kicked in the locker room door, said Ziyanna Williams, a 14-year-old ninth-grader."They came in with guns, and they probably thought there might be another shooter, of course," she said. "About an hour or two later they came -- more police came -- and told us they would search us and search our bags and stuff."Eventually, the students were escorted outside.The school has about 1,600 students and is near the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, about 65 miles (104 kilometers) southeast of Washington. On Tuesday, ambulances, firetrucks and other emergency vehicles crowded the parking lot and the street outside, where about 20 school buses lined up in the rain to take students to nearby Leonardtown High School to be picked up by their parents.Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer said the officer at the school "answered the call this morning with swiftness, professionalism, and courage." He said it's now for Congress to take action."We sympathize. We empathize. We have moments of silence. But we don't have action," Hoyer said. "Wringing our hands is not enough."Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., also spoke to reporters near the high school, saying that at a minimum, universal background checks and a ban on assault-style weapons are needed. He said he believes momentum is building for reform, fueled by student activism."I can tell you that Americans are listening to our students. I think our political system will respond," he said.Maryland's Senate joined the House on Monday night to ban bump stocks, which enable a semi-automatic rifle to mimic a fully automatic weapon. Teachers' union leaders issued statements Tuesday saying more policies must be changed nationwide to keep schools safe.Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, meanwhile, accused the Democrat-led legislature of failing to take action on "one of the most aggressive school safety plans in the country."It commits $125 million for capital improvements such secure doors and windows, metal detectors and security cameras. It also includes another $50 million annually to pay for school resource officers, counselors and technology.Hogan said "it's outrageous that we haven't taken action yet," with less than three weeks left in the session.Many students across the country are calling for effective gun controls, leading up to Saturday's March For Our Lives rally in the nation's capital against gun violence in schools.At Great Mills High last month, the school's principal, Jake Heibel, told parents in a letter posted on the local news site The Bay Net that two students were interviewed after they were overheard mentioning a school shooting, and they were found to pose no threat.Heibel said the school increased its security nevertheless after social media posts about a possible school shooting "circulated quite extensively."Also last month, St. Mary's County Sheriff's office said it arrested two teenage boys for "Threats of Mass Violence" and a 39-year-old man on related charges after the teens made threats about a potential school shooting at Leonardtown High School, a high school about 10 miles from Great Mills. Police said they obtained a search warrant that led to them finding semi-automatic rifles, handguns and other weapons, along with ammunition."This is what we prepare for and this is what we pray we will never have to do," the sheriff said Tuesday. "The notion that it can't happen here is no longer a notion."
