Police have identified the Maryland school shooter — and they say there are signs he knew the girl he shot
Today, March 20th, another school shooting occurred, this time at Great Mills High School in Maryland. Earlier today, police reported that the Maryland school shooter had died and that a male and a female student were injured in the shooting. Now, the gunman has been identified, and police say that he might have had a relationship with the girl he shot.
The shooter, 17-year-old Austin Rollins, who was a student at Great Mills, reportedly shot a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. And in a news conference, St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron said that there is evidence that Rollins knew the girl he shot.
"There is an indication that a prior relationship existed between the shooter and the female victim," Cameron said in the conference.
Rollins’ motive is still unclear, as is the exact nature of his relationship with the 16-year-old victim. Cameron said that the police would investigate whether or not Rollins’ relationship with the female victim could have been part of his motive.
Cameron also said in the conference that the shooting began just before 8 a.m. in one of the high school’s hallways. He said that Rollins was wounded after he traded fire with school resource officer Blaine Gaskill, and that Gaskill’s intervention successfully stopped the shooting. The female victim is reportedly in critical condition, while the male victim is stable.
JUST IN: St. Mary's Co. sheriff IDs Great Mills High School student Austin Wyatt Rollins, 17, as alleged shooter
• 16 yr old female student in the ICU
• 14 yr. old male student shot also in hospital
• Indication suspect had prior relationship with female victim pic.twitter.com/WUPSXKCMlR— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 20, 2018
The shooting occurred less than week after students across the country, including at Great Mills, participated in National School Walkout Day to call for stricter gun control laws.
Students who survived another recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida offered words of support to the Great Mills students on social media. Emma González, who has emerged as a prominent voice in the gun control movement, tweeted, “We are Here for you, students of Great Mills.”
We are Here for you, students of Great Mills 💗 together we can stop this from ever happening again https://t.co/bkzL1FcVgu
— X González (@callmeX) March 20, 2018
Governor Larry Hogan wrote in a statement that prayers were not enough in response to the shooting.
"Although our pain remains fresh and the facts remain uncertain, today's horrible events should not be an excuse to pause our conversation about school safety," the governor's statement read. "Instead, it must serve as a call to action."
In light of recent events, we need to stand together against gun violence. Our hearts go out to all those affected by this tragedy.