(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.
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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."
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."
