Gunman at Maryland high school dies after armed school officer intervenes; 2 others injured

A student gunman opened fire Tuesday at a high school in southern Maryland, injuring two students before an armed school resources officer intervened, authorities said.

The gunman, identified as Austin Wyatt Rollins, 17, was killed, but St. Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron said it was not immediately clear whether the school officer fired the fatal shot or whether the gunman killed himself.

The attack began shortly before classes were scheduled to start at Great Mills High, a 1,500-student school 65 miles south of Washington, D.C. Cameron said Rollins was armed with a Glock, semiautomatic handgun when he shot a 16-year-old female student in a hallway. A 14-year-old male student also was shot.

"Our school resource officer was alerted to the events," Cameron said. "He engaged the shooter and fired a round; subsequently the shooter fired a round as well."

Cameron said it was not clear whether the gunman shot himself or fired at the resource officer, identified as Deputy First Class Blaine Gaskill.

The female student was hospitalized in critical condition, and the male student was in stable condition, Cameron said. Gaskill, who was not injured, followed protocol, Cameron added.

"This is what we prepare for, this is what we pray we will never have to do," Cameron said. "The notion that this can't happen here is no longer a notion."

Cameron said the shooter and the female victim had a prior relationship. Authorities were reviewing social media posts to "piece together" a possible motive for the shooting, he said. He asked that no one jump to conclusions until the investigation is concluded.

"We are a very tight-knit community," Cameron said. "So now what I would ask our community to do is pray for the victims."