Jump to content

Two wounded in Maryland school shooting; student gunman dies


webfact

Recommended Posts

Two wounded in Maryland school shooting; student gunman dies

By Ian Simpson

 

2018-03-20T162037Z_1_LYNXMPEE2J1FW_RTROPTP_4_MARYLAND-SHOOTING.JPG

Law enforcement motorcade is seen near the Great Mills High School following a shooting on Tuesday morning in St. Mary's County, Maryland, U.S., March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Sait Serkan Gurbuz

 

GREAT MILLS, Md. (Reuters) - A 17-year-old student opened fire at a Maryland high school on Tuesday, in an attack that left two fellow students wounded, then died after a gunfight with an officer stationed there, amid a renewed debate over gun violence in schools.

 

The shooting in St. Mary's County followed last month's Florida high school massacre and came just days ahead of a national march backing stronger gun laws.

 

The gunfire erupted shortly before 8 a.m. (1200 GMT) at Great Mills High School, about 70 miles (110 km) south of Washington, county Sheriff Timothy Cameron said.

 

A 16-year-old girl was in intensive care with life-threatening injuries, Cameron told a news conference. A 14-year-old boy was in good condition at a hospital.

 

The gunman was identified as Austin Wyatt Rollins, and Cameron said there was "an indication" the teenager had a prior relationship with the female student, though it was still under investigation.

 

The sheriff initially told reporters Rollins shot both victims with a handgun but then said in response to questions that investigators were still not certain who had fired the shot that hit the 14-year-old.

 

He also said it was not clear whether Rollins died after being shot by the officer, Deputy 1st Class Blaine Gaskill, or from a self-inflicted gunshot.

 

The latest in a long string of deadly shootings at U.S. schools and colleges occurred a little more than a month after 17 students and educators were shot dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

 

That massacre sparked a new student movement against gun violence, including a national school walkout last week that included some Great Mills students. Tuesday's shooting occurred days before a planned Saturday march in Washington calling for new restrictions on guns.

 

"We recently had a protest about school violence last week, and now this has happened," said Kameron Norwood, 16, as he and other students who had been transported to a nearby high school waited for to relatives to pick them up.

 

Sheriff Cameron said Rollins pulled out a Glock semiautomatic around 7:55 a.m. (1155 GMT) in a hallway and opened fire.

 

The attack, lasting less than a minute, ended after Gaskill ran inside and confronted Rollins, with both firing a single shot almost simultaneously.

 

The officer was not harmed, Cameron said. Rollins was confirmed dead at 10:41 a.m. (1441 GMT) at a hospital.

 

Rollins was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys football team and NASCAR racing, according to his Facebook page, and appeared several times on the school's honour and merit rolls for good grades that were published in a local newspaper.

 

"WE NEED MORE THAN PRAYERS"

 

If authorities confirm Gaskill fired the fatal shot, it may be the only known instance in which a school resource officer, typically a sworn law enforcement member assigned to a school, killed a student gunman during an active shooting.

 

There have been other cases in which such officers have interceded during shootings.

 

An armed school resource officer had also been on the Stoneman Douglas campus, and was criticized for failing to stop the gunman, who had an AR-15 assault-style rifle. The officer, who resigned, said he had not been sure where the gunfire was coming from.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association have proposed arming some teachers, while gun safety advocates have demanded a ban on semiautomatic rifles, among other laws.

 

Maryland's two Democratic U.S. senators, Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, on Tuesday called on Congress to pass gun safety legislation, where such laws have stalled for years.

 

The state's Republican governor, Larry Hogan, said his thoughts and prayers were with the victims but added, "We need more than prayers."

 

After the Parkland shooting, Hogan proposed spending $125 million to enhance school security, including panic buttons and metal detectors, and vowed to provide an additional $50 million to hire school resource officers and counsellors.

 

(Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen, Gina Cherelus, Elizabeth Dilts and Sheila Dang in New York; writing by Joseph Ax; editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)

 
reuters_logo.jpg
-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-21
Link to comment
Share on other sites


28 minutes ago, lanista said:

Name one other  developed country that has armed guards in schools or would even entertain the insane idea of putting loaded guns in classrooms.

Nigeria, Pakistan ..........

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, dunroaming said:

If it wasn't so ludicrously easy for anyone to get a gun in the first place then there wouldn't be a need for armed school guards. Only the profoundly stupid cannot see that.   T.I.A

To late for should of could of,time to enforce those many gun laws and harden up those SOFT TARGETS,along with some good old fashion   parental guidance  in morality.

Edited by riclag
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, dunroaming said:

If it wasn't so ludicrously easy for anyone to get a gun in the first place then there wouldn't be a need for armed school guards. Only the profoundly stupid cannot see that.   T.I.A

That may be true or it could be vice versa. I think the expansion of the police state , in part, leads to the kinds of conflicts we see.  Don't hear about any shootings in parochial/private schools. Presumably those kids are filled with all the same hormones/angst and access to guns as their public school counterparts. No armed cops patrolling the hallways at Catholic schools. But watch out for the Mother Superior!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 21/03/2018 at 6:39 AM, FreddieRoyle said:

Armed school admins worth their weight in gold. If it hadn't been for an armed officer present this could have been another catastrophe. This amazing save of kids lives has come at a very opportune time, a time where many people want school employees banned from carrying firearms. I presume this outcome will stop the anti NRA squad dead in their tracks.

It is the NRA squad who are responsible for stopping a lot of kids in their tracks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.








×
×
  • Create New...