A 16-year-old student known to police shot and killed a classmate in a Maryland high school bathroom on Friday, just days after suspected teenage gunman Colt Gray shot and killed four people at a north Georgia school.
The 16-year-old fired a single shot in a first-floor boys' bathroom after an argument on his first day at Joppatowne High School, striking 15-year-old Warren Curtis Grant at approximately 12:35 p.m. According to Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler,.
The school's security guard and principal did not hear the gunfire but did hear the commotion it caused, the sheriff's office said earlier.
Students dragged the injured Grant into a hallway, where a school nurse treated him before he was flown by helicopter to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where he later died.
Police said the shooter fled to a nearby apartment and began banging on doors looking for a place to hide. He was taken into custody “within minutes,” Gahler said.
“It's a tragic day, the fourth day of the new semester,” he added.
“We all know about the horrific shooting that took four lives a few days ago in Georgia, and now we're witnessing a shooting at a school in Harford County,” Gahler said.
The teenage shooter had previously been known to police, he added.
“Since 2022, there have been over 10 cases where the suspect was a victim, witness or suspect in an investigation by the Harford County Sheriff's Office,” Gahler explained at a subsequent press conference.
Authorities said it was unclear what type of weapon the gunman used and no gun has been recovered.
“I don't know if that means he has a juvenile history. I know there have been reports in the past involving him,” he told reporters.
Maryland's “preferential treatment of criminals” laws mean police aren't allowed to talk to suspects, Gahler said, but after speaking with the district attorney's office, he believes there is “overwhelming evidence” and the boy will be charged as an adult without a police interview.
The suspects will be identified once they are charged, Gahler said.
Within 15 minutes of the shooting, more than 100 police officers from multiple agencies had descended on the high school, about 25 miles north of Baltimore, in what was initially reported to be a shooter.
By 12:45 p.m., the students had been evacuated. WBAL-TV reported.
Senior student Christopher Baniff told the outlet he was walking home from his third period class when he heard a loud noise behind him.
“I took my headphones off and heard screaming, yelling and students running around. I went into the classroom and the school was put on lockdown for about five minutes.” He said.
Freshman Nijay Davis said. “I was walking to class and all of a sudden I heard a loud noise. I didn't know what it was but then I saw everyone running” and we started running together.
“We're just shocked that we, as a part of this terrible school group, had to go through something like this, and we're going to do everything in our power to make sure this never happens again,” Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Shawn Bulson said.
The horrific shooting came just two days after 14-year-old Colt Gray opened fire at Apalachee High School in north Georgia, killing two students and two teachers and wounding nine others.
Colt and his father, Collin Gray, who allegedly bought the AR-15-style rifle used in the massacre as a Christmas gift for his son months after he was accused of threatening to commit a school shooting, were both arrested and charged with murder.
The two made their first court appearance on Friday and were informed they could spend the rest of their lives in prison.
