Two students of Great Mills High School in Maryland have been seriously injured after a gunman opened fire in the school arena.
The gunman who opened fire at the Maryland school has also been shot dead by school resource officer.
St Mary’s County sheriff Tim Cameron told a news conference the shooter and the officer both fired a round and it was not yet known if the officer’s bullet killed the suspect.
Cameron said a female student and a male student were wounded in the shooting, in a hallway at Great Mills high school in southern Maryland. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Cpl Julie Yingling said earlier all three wounded were transported to hospitals.
Great Mills high school has about 1,600 students and is near the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, about 65 miles south-east of Washington DC. St Mary’s County Public Schools first reported the shooting, saying the event was “contained” and the campus was on lockdown.
The sheriff’s office said there was an “incident” at the school and asked parents to stay away from the campus and report instead to Leonardtown High School.
The school is in the congressional district of Democratic House whip Steny Hoyer. He tweeted that he was monitoring reports and urged people to follow the instructions of local law enforcement. Maryland governor Larry Hogan also said he was monitoring the situation.
The Baltimore Sun reported that a student said the shooting happened around 8am. Terrence Rhames, 18, told the paper 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.”
FBI spokesman David Fitz said agents were on the scene to assist the sheriff’s office.
