School shooter dies

UPDATE: 11 a.m.

A teenager with a handgun shot two classmates inside his Maryland high school Tuesday before he was fatally wounded during a confrontation with a school resource officer, a sheriff said.

The officer and the student both fired a single shot at that point, and it wasn't immediately clear whether he took his own life or was killed by the officer's bullet, St. Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron said. The other students — a 16-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy — were hospitalized, the girl with life-threatening injuries. The officer, who doubles as a SWAT team member, was unharmed.

"When the shooting took place, our school resource officer, who was stationed inside the school, was alerted to the event and the shots being fired. He pursued the shooter and engaged the shooter, during which that engagement he fired a round at the shooter," Cameron said.

"Simultaneously the shooter fired a round as well. So, in the hours to come, in the days to come, through a detailed investigation, we will be able to determine if our SRO's round struck the shooter."

The shooter was identified as Austin Rollins, 17. His motive wasn't immediately clear. "There is an indication that a prior relationship existed between the shooter and the female victim, the sheriff said.

Agents with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined deputies at Great Mills High School as students endured a lengthy lockdown, cowering inside classrooms and a locker room while officers worked to make sure there were no more threats on campus.

Police eventually kicked in the locker room door, said Ziyanna Williams, a 14-year-old ninth-grader.

"They came in with guns, and they probably thought there might be another shooter, of course," she said. "About an hour or two later they came – more police came – and told us they would search us and search our bags and stuff." Eventually, the students were escorted outside.

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UPDATE 7:25 a.m.

A shooting at a Maryland high school Tuesday morning injured three people, including the shooter, a sheriff's spokeswoman said.

Authorities said the situation was "contained" as deputies and federal agents converged on the crime 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 and none were killed.

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."

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UPDATE 6:40 a.m.

A shooting at a Maryland high school caused injuries Tuesday morning, and the campus was on lockdown as deputies and federal agents converged on the crime scene.

St. Mary's Couty Sheriff spokeswoman Cpl. Julie Yingling says there have been injuries, but she didn't know how many or the severity. She said she had "no information" about potential fatalities.

The St. Mary's County Public Schools said 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 100 kilometres southeast of Washington.

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ORIGINAL 6:26 a.m.

School officials report that there's been a shooting at a Maryland high school, that the 'event is contained' and the campus is on lockdown.

Federal agents from the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are going to the scene, their agency tweeted.

The St. Mary's County Public Schools said on its website early Tuesday that there was a shooting at Great Mills High School, located in the southern end of the state.

The county sheriff said deputies are on the scene, and that parents or guardians should stay away, going instead to Leonardtown High School to reunite with Great Mills students there.

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.