20th March, 2018
A shooting at a Maryland high school Tuesday morning injured three people, including the shooter, a sheriff’s spokeswoman said.
Authorities said the situation at Great Mills High School was “contained” as deputies and federal agents converged on the scene.
St. Mary’s County Sheriff spokeswoman Cpl. Julie Yingling said three people were hurt, including the shooter. She didn’t know the extent of their injuries, but said all three were taken to hospitals alive.
A student told the Baltimore Sun that the shooting happened around 8 a.m. Terrence Rhames, 18, said he heard a gunshot and saw a girl fall as he ran for an exit. “I just thank God I’m safe,” Rhames said. “I just want to know who did it and who got injured.”
The St. Mary’s County Public Schools said the situation was “contained” at the high school, which has about 1,600 students and is near the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, about 65 miles southeast of Washington.
Agents with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined deputies at the scene. The sheriff said parents or guardians should stay away, urging them to go instead to Leonardtown High School to reunite with Great Mills students there.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Rep. Steny Hoyer tweeted that they were monitoring reports and urged people to follow the instructions of local law enforcement.
Tuesday’s shooting happened as many students have taken the lead in calling for action against gun violence in schools, leading up to Saturday’s March For Our Lives rally in the nation’s capital. Protests have been spreading around the nation since a teenager with an assault rifle killed 17 people at a Florida high school on Valentine’s Day.