Maryland school shooting gun was legally owned by shooter’s father

GREAT MILLS, Md. — The handgun used in Tuesday’s shooting at Great Mills High School in Southern Maryland was legally owned by the shooter’s father, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff ’s Office said Wednesday.

Austin Wyatt Rollins, 17, brought a Glock 9 mm handgun to the school and opened fire in a hallway at about 7:50 a.m., injuring a 16-yearold girl, according to the St. Mary’s County Sheriff ’s Office. A 14-year-old boy was also shot in the leg. A school resource officer quickly responded and fired at Rollins. Rollins fired his gun almost simultaneously.

Rollins died hours later at a hospital. The school resource officer, Deputy First Class Blaine Gaskill, was not injured.

The 16-year-old victim of Tuesday’s shooting — identified by family as Jaelynn Willey — remained in critical condition Wednesday morning, according to a hospital spokesman. She was “gravely injured,” according to the sheriff ’s office.

The 14-year-old boy — identified as Desmond Barnes — was discharged from MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital on Wednesday, hospital officials confirmed. He was shot in the leg.

The sheriff’s office did not offer further information about the gun, including when and where it was purchased or how Rollins gained access to it.

The sheriff’s office also said Wednesday afternoon that the shooting was not a random act. There’s evidence that Rollins and Willey had “a prior relationship which recently ended,” according to the sheriff ’s office.

Investigators have not yet found any threatening posts or statements made by Rollins prior to the shooting.

No one was at Rollins’ home, a gray two-story house in a suburban development, on Wednesday. His Facebook page had been turned into a memorial page.

As the investigation into the incident continues, Great Mills High School will remain closed for the rest of the week.

All schools in St. Mary’s County were closed Wednesday due to a snowstorm. Schools will be closed next week for spring break, so Great Mills High is expected to reopen April 2.

KIM HAIRSTON/BALTIMORE SUN Wendy Morris and her daughter, Angel Long, 17, a junior at Great Mills High School, leave the James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center on Tuesday after they were reunited. Great Mills students were evacuated after a suspected shooter was killed by...