Great Mills High closed early after lockdown

Great Mills High School in Southern Maryland, where a school shooting occurred in March, dismissed students early Wednesday after the school was placed on lockdown due to “reported sightings of a possibly armed individual in the area,” the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office said. The school was cleared by law enforcement, and dismissal began at 12:45 p.m., “as a result of the disruption caused by the lockdown,” St. Mary’s County Public Schools announced. The sheriff’s office said the lockdown was a precaution and no threat was posed to the students or neighboring community. The sheriff ’s office identified the armed person as Elijah Miguel Miles, 17, of California, Md., who officials said was wanted in connection to a shooting Tuesday in the Hickory Hills neighborhood. He was arrested later Wednesday outside St. Mary’s County, the sheriff ’s office announced about 2:30 p.m. The victim in the Tuesday shooting, who was shot in the back in the 22000 block of Athlone Drive, was airlifted to a hospital, according to the sheriff’s office. “Miles was also reportedly seen in the area of Great Mills High School, which led to the school being placed on lockdown as a precaution to ensure safety to students and faculty of the school,” the sheriff’s office said Wednesday. A large number of police responded to the area surrounding the high school, where a student was fatally shot and another was injured by a fellow student who killed himself after being confronted by a school resource officer in March.