A little over a month after the tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, an armed student is now dead after shooting two others on Tuesday morning at Great Mills High School in southeast Maryland, NBC Washington reports.
Sheriff Tim Cameron confirmed that the armed student used a handgun to shoot a 16-year-old female student and 14-year-old male student at about 7:45 am just before classes were set to begin. The female student was taken to UM Prince George's Hospital Center and is in critical condition, while the male student was transferred to MedStar St. Mary's Hospital and is in good condition.
The armed student has been identified as 17-year-old Austin Wyatt Rollins, who had a prior relationship with the female student, according to Cameron.
"On this day we realize our worst nightmare — that our greatest asset, our children, were attacked in a bastion of safety and security," Cameron said.
"I'm still a little shaken up," Great Mills student Jonathan Freese told CNN. "I didn't really expect for this to happen. I do always feel safe, though, because they always have police at the school."
The school was placed on lockdown, and parents were alerted not to report to the school but were instead directed to nearby Leonardtown High School to reunite with their children. "Now begins the second phase of this operation, and that’s the background and the investigation and the attempt for the school to return to normal," noted Cameron.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan released a statement saying that he was praying for the victims, their loved ones and the community as a whole.
"But prayers are not enough," he noted. "Although our pain remains fresh and the facts remain uncertain, today’s horrible events should not be an excuse to pause our conversation about school safety. Instead, it must serve as a call to action.”
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed that President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting, and the White House is monitoring the incident.
CNN has confirmed through research that this marks the 17th school shooting this year, and that there is an average of one school shooting per week so far.
According to The Hill, Parkland students sent messages of support and solidarity to the Great Mills students:
We are Here for you, students of Great Mills ???? together we can stop this from ever happening again https://t.co/bkzL1FcVgu— Emma González (@Emma4Change) March 20, 2018
The words School & Shooting should not be next to eachother. Headlines like this should not have to be typed up every week. All of these incidents have one thing in common. My thoughts are with Maryland right now. https://t.co/UdkvX6UyxU— Adam Alhanti (@AAlhanti) March 20, 2018
Activist Jaclyn Corin noted the tragic irony regarding the fact that Great Mills students recently protested for gun reform and are now experiencing it themselves:
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. The state of our country is disgusting – I’m so sorry, Great Mills.— Jaclyn Corin (@JaclynCorin) March 20, 2018
We'll keep you posted on further updates as the story progresses.
