A 16-year-old girl shot Tuesday in a Southern Maryland high school by a fellow student has died, according to officials.
Jaelynn Willey was shot in the head in a hallway just before classes began about 7:55 a.m. at Great Mills High School, according to the St. Marys County Sheriffs Office and the girls family. The sheriffs office said in a brief statement that she died at 11:34 p.m. Thursday.
She had been targeted by Austin Wyatt Rollins, 17, after the couple recently ended their relationship, according to previous statements from the sheriffs office. On Thursday, her family said at a brief news conference that she was brain dead and would be taken off life support.
My daughter was hurt by a boy who shot her in the head and took everything from us, said her mother, Melissa Willey.
She is brain dead. She has no life left in her, she said, standing beside her husband, Daniel, and carrying one of their younger children in her arms.
Willeys family spoke Thursday night at the University of Maryland Prince Georges Hospital Center, where she had been brought for treatment after the shooting.
She is one of nine children.
An uncle, Timothy Cormier, on Wednesday described Willey as an amazing young lady, whose peaceful presence and love of her fellow students and family is well-known at the school. She was a dedicated student and swimmer, he said.
Rollins was killed after school resource officer Blaine Gaskill confronted the teen as students and staff scrambled for cover. The sheriffs office said Wednesday that Gaskill fired one shot at Rollins, who simultaneously fired a shot as well.
Rollins sustained a life-threatening injury in the exchange, the department said.
Rollins used a Glock handgun legally owned by his father, according to the sheriffs office.
Attempts to reach Rollinss parents have been unsuccessful.
Desmond Barnes, 14, who also was in the hallway, was wounded by Rollins but was released Wednesday from MedStar St. Marys Hospital after surgery on his thigh, officials said.
His mother, Kimberly Dennis, said in a statement Thursday evening that our entire family is eternally grateful that Desmond is alive, doing well and in good spirits. He is an amazing testimony.
We remain deeply saddened and shocked by this shooting incident and continue to pray for the other victim and her family during this difficult time. We are also praying for the entire Great Mills High School family and young people around this country. As a community and nation, we must continue to work and fight for a world that is safe for our children, she said.
School officials said Wednesday that Great Mills will be closed through the end of the week to assist law enforcement efforts. The school is scheduled to reopen April 2, after spring break.
The shooting at the high school 70 miles south of the District thrust the close-knit St. Marys County community into the national debate over gun control and whether teachers should be armed and more armed officers added to improve safety.
The shooting occurred on the cusp of Saturdays March for Our Lives, a rally against gun violence sparked by the Florida school shooting last month that left 17 people dead.
The Great Mills shooting prompted a lockdown and evacuation at the school of more than 1,600 students. Authorities praised Gaskill, who has been a resource officer at the high school since August, for his quick reaction.
Wasn't there a Maryland high school shooting last week? Or is this the same one? ---
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Looks like he was mad that he and the girl broke up and coudln't handle it properly.
In regards to the other guy shot, thats a good question. It might have been someone that was in the way or maybe the new guy she liked or maybe he was being hit during that "simultaneous shot" that happened when the resource officer shot him. ---
Looks like he was mad that he and the girl broke up and coudln't handle it properly.
In regards to the other guy shot, thats a good question. It might have been someone that was in the way or maybe the new guy she liked or maybe he was being hit during that "simultaneous shot" that happened when the resource officer shot him.
It's a "domestic" that happened to take place at a high school.
