Maryland high school evacuated after student shoots classmate in fight
A high school student shot one of his classmates at his Maryland high school on Friday, forcing the school to be evacuated, just two days after a gunman killed four people at a Georgia high school.
The shooting happened in a bathroom at Joppatowne High School, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Baltimore, around 12:36 a.m., Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said.
The 16-year-old gunman shot the 15-year-old victim after a fight broke out on the gunman’s first day of school.
The victim was immediately treated by school nurses and then taken to hospital by helicopter in serious condition.
The incident led to a large-scale emergency response and evacuation of the school.
A student shot one of his classmates at his Maryland high school on Friday, forcing the school to be evacuated, just two days after a gunman killed four people at a Georgia high school
The shooting happened in a restroom at Joppatowne High School, about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore, around 12:36 a.m., Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said.
The shooter, 16, shot the victim, 15, after a fight broke out on the shooter’s first day of school
Authorities said the shooter fled the school, raising fears that there was an active shooter, but he was captured within minutes at a nearby apartment complex.
School staff and police responded quickly and were on the scene within 15 minutes. Over 100 officers were on the scene.
The Harford County Sheriff’s Office warned people to avoid the area, but stressed that it was an “isolated incident.”
It is unclear at this time what led to the fight. The investigation is ongoing.
There was a rapid response from school personnel and law enforcement, with over 100 officers on scene within 15 minutes
The Harford County Sheriff’s Office warned people to avoid the area but stressed it was an “isolated incident”
Gahler said the victim was in critical condition in the hospital. He was believed to be the only one shot.
According to Gahler, the suspect was reportedly “known to police,” but it is unclear in what capacity at this time.
The shooting came days after Colt Gray, a 14-year-old high school student, staged a bloody shooting that left four people dead at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
Armed with an assault rifle, the teenager pointed the weapon at students in the school hallway when his classmates refused to open the door for him.
Two 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, as well as teachers Christina Irmie, 53, and Richard Aspinall, 39, were killed.
At least nine others were injured.
Footage showed students streaming onto campus as terrified parents rushed to find their children. One mother described the scene outside the school as sheer “chaos.”