2 injured in shooting at Maryland high school, gunman dead

A high school in Maryland went into lockdown Tuesday morning after a shooting that left two students injured and a third — the suspect — dead, officials said.

Authorities in St. Mary’s County said the gunfire situation at Great Mills High School had been contained. A school resource officer shot the suspect, Sheriff Tim Cameron said.

Sheriff spokeswoman Cpl. Julie Yingling said a girl and a boy and the male suspect had been taken to the hospital, where the suspect was pronounced dead.

The Baltimore Sun reported that student Terence Rhames, 18, said the shooting happened around 8 a.m. Maryland time.

The teen told the newspaper 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.”

Principal Jake Heibel told parents that school officials interviewed two students in February who were overheard mentioning a school shooting and found that they posed no threat.

The sheriff’s office originally said only that there had been an incident and asked parents to stay away from the Lexington Park campus, directing them instead to a nearby school to wait for information and pick up their children.

There has been an incident at Great Mills High School. Parents please DO NOT respond to the school. Report to Leonardtown High School

— St. Mary's Sheriff (@firstsheriff) March 20, 2018

The school district tweeted:

There has been a Shooting at Great Mills High School. The school is on lock down the event is contained, the Sheriff's office is on the scene additional information to follow.
Parents/Guardians should go to Leonardtown HS for reunification with GMHS students

— SMCPS_MD (@SMCPS_MD) March 20, 2018

St. Mary’s County is about a two-hour drive south of Washington, D.C.

A little over a month ago, 17 students and staffers at a Florida high school were killed by a former student who opened fire on them with an AR-15 rifle.

NBC News reported that students at Great Mills High had taken part in the recent National School Walkout that honored the memory of the Parkland, Florida victims.

Federal agents rushed to the scene in Maryland.

The school district canceled all after-school activities and events at each of its sites.

The Associated Pres contributed to this report.

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