Shooting at Maryland High School Injured Two Students, Quickly Ended by Armed Resource Officer

Two students were shot early this morning at Great Mills High School in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. Both victims were transported to local hospitals and one remains in critical condition. The alleged shooter, Austin Wyatt Rollins, was stopped by an armed school resource officer that was onsite during the shooting, and was pronounced deceased at 10:41 ET this morning. 

Tim Cameron, St. Mary’s County Sheriff, said the incident occurred in a hallway at Great Mills High School at around 7:55 ET just before classes would have begun. According to Cameron, the 17-year-old shooter used a handgun to shoot one 16-year-old female and one 14-year-old male student before a school resource officer opened fire on him.

“Our school resource officer who was stationed inside the school was alerted to the event and the shots being fired. He pursued the shooter, engaged the shooter, during which that engagement he fired a round at the shooter. Simultaneously, the shooter fired a round as well…the school resource officer is uninjured and was not struck by any firearm projectile,” Cameron said.

“The victims of the shooting were transported by EMS. The one male student went to MedStar St. Mary’s hospital and  is in stable condition. The female student was transported to shock trauma facility and is in critical condition, and …At 10:41 this morning the shooter was pronounced deceased at Charles Regional Medical Center in La Plata,” said Cameron.

After the shooting the school was placed on lockdown and students were bused to closeby Leonardtown High School, where they are being reunited with parents and guardians.  

A student at the high school, Jonathan Freese, told reporters that the school had held drills for this type of event, but he “didn't really expect for this to happen. I do always feel safe, though, because they always have police at the school," he said. "I'm still a little shaken up."

According to Cameron, it has been indicated that there was some kind of relationship between the shooter and the female victim, and the motive of the shooting is currently being investigated.