A student shot one of his classmates at his Maryland high school on Friday, forcing the evacuation of the school just two days after a gunman killed four people at a Georgia high school.
The shooting happened inside a bathroom at Joppatowne High School, about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore, around 12:36 p.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 shooter’s first day back at school.
The victim was immediately treated by school nurses before being airlifted to hospital in serious condition.
The incident prompted a massive emergency response and the evacuation of the school.
A student shot one of his classmates at his Maryland high school on Friday, forcing the evacuation of the school just two days after a gunman killed four people at a Georgia high school.
The shooting happened inside a bathroom at Joppatowne High School, about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore, around 12:36 p.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 shooter’s first day back at school.
The gunman reportedly fled the school, raising fears of an active shooter situation, before being apprehended within minutes at a nearby apartment complex, authorities said.
There was a rapid response from school staff and law enforcement on scene with more than 100 officers arriving within 15 minutes.
The Harford County Sheriff’s Office warned people to avoid the area but stressed it was an “isolated incident.”
It is unclear at this time what sparked the fight. The investigation is ongoing.
There was a rapid response from school staff and law enforcement on scene, with more than 100 officers arriving 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 at the hospital. He is believed to be the only one who was shot.
Gahler said the suspect was reportedly “known to law enforcement,” but it is unclear at this time in what capacity.
The shooting comes just days after 14-year-old Colt Gray went on a bloody rampage that left four people dead at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
Armed with an assault rifle, the teenager pointed the gun at students in a 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 other people were injured.
Footage showed students streaming onto campus as terrified parents ran to find their children, with one mother describing the scene outside the school as pure “chaos”.