Gunman dead after shooting 2 students at Maryland high school

A 17-year old male student at Great Mills High School in St. Mary's County, Maryland, shot two students on Tuesday morning with a semi-automatic handgun, according to the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Department.

The two students, one male and one female, have been transported to hospitals for injuries St. Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron said in a press conference. The male victim, a 14-year-old student, is in stable condition. The female student, a 16-year-old who had a relationship with the shooter, is in the intensive care unit for life-threatening injuries. It’s not clear if the relationship was part of the shooter’s motive.

The shooter, Austin Wyatt Rollins, died after exchanging gunfire with a school resource officer, Blaine Gaskill. Gaskill, who is unharmed, responded within a minute, Cameron said. The Sheriff's Department, however, wouldn’t confirm if Gaskill’s bullet hit Rollins. The two shot “simultaneously,” Cameron said.

Police also don’t know how Rollins obtained his weapon, a semi-automatic handgun, according to the Sheriff's Department. Maryland law prevents anyone under the age of 21 from purchasing a handgun.

The school is no longer on lockdown, Kristee Boyle, a security specialist for St. Mary’s County Public Schools told VICE News. The sheriff's department had asked parents not to report to Great Mills High School, and the district said to go to Leonardtown High School instead to reunite with their kids.

The sheriff's office as well as FBI and ATF agents all responded to the incident on Tuesday morning.

In February, the school increased police presence after another school shooting threat was circulated on Snapchat.

At the time, Jake Heibel, principal of Great Mills High School, sent a message to parents and guardians obtained by TheBayNet.com that detailed the threat and announced that law enforcement investigated and found it wasn’t substantiated.

Corporal Julie Yingling, Public Information officer of the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office, told TheBayNet.com that the department is aware of the threat and a the Special Operations Division is working to pinpoint the origin. In the meantime, there will be an extra police presence at Great Mills High to ensure the safety of the students.

Tuesday’s shooting at Great Mills High School marks the 11th time a gun has been fired in a K-12 school since the Parkland mass shooting, according to The Trace, a nonprofit that studies gun violence.

Parkland survivors, many of whom have since become gun control advocates, tweeted out their support for students at Great Mills High School.

Cover image: Deputies, federal agents and rescue personnel, converge on Great Mills High School, the scene of a shooting, Tuesday morning, March 20, 2018 in Great Mills, Md. The shooting left three people injured including the shooter. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)