School shooting victim to be taken off life support

WASHINGTON: A teenage girl was brain dead days after being shot when a classmate opened fire inside their Maryland high school and was to be removed from life support, her mother said.

Melissa Willey told news reporters on Thursday night that her daughter, 16-year-old Jaelynn Willey had “no life left in her”.

She said Jaelynn would be removed from life support during the evening by the family’s decision.

Willey, holding a young baby, said: “On Tuesday ... our lives changed completely and totally forever. My daughter was hurt by a boy who shot her in the head and took everything from our lives.”

Jaelynn was shot by 17-year-old Austin Rollins at Great Mills High School in St Mary’s County.

Rollins died after shooting Jaelynn.

A school resource officer got there within a minute and fired a shot at Rollins, but it’s not yet clear whether Rollins was killed by the officer’s bullet or took his own life.

The St Mary’s County Sheriff ’s Office said on Wednesday that Rollins and the girl had been in a relationship that recently ended.

“All indications suggest the shoot- ing was not a random act of violence,” police said in a statement.

Jaelynn had been in critical condition at the University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center.

A fundraising page to help her family has raised more than US$59,000 (RM230,662).

Jaelynn was one of nine siblings, her mother said, and a member of the swim team.

The shooting broke out just before classes were to begin, according to the sheriff ’s office, which said the gun used belonged to Rollins’ father.

A 14-year-old boy who was shot in the thigh during the encounter was released on Wednesday from a hospital.

In an email on Thursday, his mother, Kimberly Dennis, said her family is “eternally grateful” that her son, Desmond Barnes, is “alive, doing well and in good spirits”.

She expressed sympathy for Jaelynn and her family and added: “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.”