Two wounded in Maryland school shooting; student gunman dies

By Ian Simpson

 

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)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-21

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.

In this case a good guy with a gun stepped up to limit the number of injuries. 

Armed guard kills the shooter. What no CNN coverage. No protest against gun control .No liberals marching in the streets. Good job on the part of the guard. 

Gun control and nobody would have gotten injured / died.

Edited March 21, 20188 yr by FritsSikkink

3 hours ago, 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.

I'm guessing the family of the dead student considers it a catastrophe. But I can see what you're thinking..."no big deal, only one child murdered"

Off-topic post removed.  

3 hours ago, 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.

...ahm...no, it won't!

Because it is not a matter of one "lucky" case, where "only" two kids died, because someone had a gun ready!

Wanna know why?

Read the OP: the shooter was 17!

Not old enough to watch porn, buy beer, drive a car...

But he had a gun.

Maybe he bought it, maybe his parents were some of those "law- abiding citizens", who just happened to have one (or two or three) gun(s), lying around in their home!

With less guns/ restricted access to guns/ no guns, this would have never happened!

 

So stop your gleeful triumph about "a good guy with a gun" right HERE!

This kid had a target.   A former girl friend.   He wasn't out for a body count.  

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 ..........

4 hours ago, FreddieRoyle said:

I presume this outcome will stop the anti NRA squad dead in their tracks.

One swallow does not a summer make

"" Thoughts and prayers "" is now the Republican standard response to all of these atrocities.

What they need to do is ACT.

9 hours ago, 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.

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

12 hours ago, FreddieRoyle said:

I presume this outcome will stop the anti NRA squad dead in their tracks.

 

*dead in their tracks* lol, nice pun.

 

Another school shooting and you dress it up as validation for gun rights. 

 

It's not Afghanistan, it's a school, in the supposed epitome of society.

 

Oh nevermind, glad you're not my neighbour.

 

9 hours ago, Jonnapat said:

"" Thoughts and prayers "" is now the Republican standard response to all of these atrocities.

What they need to do is ACT.

Thoughts and prayers and don't forget 50$ in the pot before you leave.

12 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Gun control and nobody would have gotten injured / died.

Frits- you're talking sense!

A post containing off topic baiting comments has been removed as well as the reply that took the bait.

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 March 21, 20188 yr by riclag

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!

Troll post removed.   It's been covered in the media.  

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!

On 21/03/2018 at 10:48 AM, Credo said:

This kid had a target.   A former girl friend.   He wasn't out for a body count.  

But he not only had a former girlfriend, he also happened to have a gun!  So, a body count of just one is OK?  In fact, of course, the body count was two.

On 21/03/2018 at 10:49 AM, sandrabbit said:

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

Tends to prove the poster's point, don't you think?

Twilight zone stuff here, that people think having an armed guard at a school is normal, let alone thinking it is par for the course that a student has access to a gun to go shooting up fellow pupils. 

 

I don’t know what kind of thought process and moral compass gets you to the point where you celebrate there were only a couple of injuries, rather than a mass murder. 

 

Its a school F F S,  not a war zone. 

Edited March 22, 20188 yr by samran