Student gunman killed in Maryland high school, two other students wounded
GREAT MILLS, Maryland -- A student is dead and two others are wounded after a shooting inside a Maryland high school.
According to St. Mary's County Sheriff Jim Cameron, at the beginning of the school day, a male student at Great Mills High School produced a handgun and started firing. A female student and a male student were both wounded in the hallway just before classes began.
A school resource officer pursued the shooter and exchanged gunfire with him, Cameron said. The gunman was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The officer was uninjured.
The female student who was shot is hospitalized in critical condition. The male victim is listed as stable at another hospital.
The Baltimore Sun reported that a student said the shooting happened around 8 a.m. Terrence Rhames, 18, told the Sun that 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" after the shooting at Great Mills High School, which has about 1,600 students and is near the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, about 65 miles southeast of Washington.
The county sheriff said deputies are on the scene, and told parents or guardians to stay away, urging them to go instead to Leonardtown High School to reunite with Great Mills students there. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tweeted that its agents are going to the scene.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Rep. Steny Hoyer tweeted that they're monitoring reports and urged people to follow the instructions of local law enforcement at the scene.
Governor Larry Hogan issued the following statement: "The school shooting that took place this morning at Great Mills High School remains an active investigation, and Maryland State Police are on the scene assisting local and federal law enforcement. I want to express my deepest gratitude to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office and all of the first responders who swiftly and bravely took action to secure the school. The First Lady and I are praying for those who were injured, their families and loved ones, and for the entire Great Mills community as they come together to heal in the wake of this horrific situation. But prayers are not enough. 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. Instead, it must serve as a call to action."
Timeline: Deadliest school shootings in recent history
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
