Steve Ruark / AP
A Baltimore County police officer speaks to a parent as students are evacuated from Perry Hall High School after a student was shot and critically wounded on the first day of classes on Monday, Aug. 27.
By Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News
A Baltimore County, Md., high school student who opened fire on the first day of classes, critically wounding a classmate before being subdued by teachers, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and assault.
Baltimore County police confirmed to NBC News that the suspect in Monday's shooting, Robert Wayne Gladden, Jr., 15, has been charged as an adult and is being held without bail.
The 17-year-old victim in the shooting at Perry Hall High School -- a special needs student, according to NBC affiliate WBALTV.com???has not been identified. He remains in critical condition.
Police said Monday they didn't believe he was targeted by Gladden, who allegedly walked into the school cafeteria at about 10:45 a.m. on Monday and pulled out a gun. He fired one shot before being rushed by teachers, and another shot went off as teachers grabbed him, Baltimore County Police Chief James Johnson said.
Previous report: Student shot at Maryland high school on first day of class
Police say they believe Gladden acted alone. On his Facebook page Monday morning, under the name "Suicidal Smile," Gladden wrote, "First day of school, last day of my life," reported WBALTV.com.
On Monday evening, Gladden's father told reporters that his son had been bullied, but gave no further details or motive, according to NBCWashington.com. A woman who was at the home told reporters, "We are horrified. We did not see this coming and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and the victim's family."
Court documents show Gladden's parents divorced in 2010, reported WBALTV.com. The news station?went to the house where Gladden lives with his mother on Monday afternoon; a sign on the door read "We don't call 911," and had a picture of a revolver on it, reporters said.??No one in the house would comment on the shooting.
Gladden was taken into custody shortly after the shooting, and police said he was cooperating with investigators. He will have a preliminary hearing on Sept. 7, The Baltimore Sun reported.
Jordan Coates, a 17-year-old student who was in the cafeteria when the shooting happened, said he saw teachers, including guidance counselor Jesse Wasmer, pin Gladden against a vending machine.
"My back was to the door. I heard a pop and thought it was a bag because people do that, but then I heard another one," Coates told The Associated Press. "And I turned around and a teacher had a kid pinned up against the vending machine, and I saw the barrel, and another shot goes off and people just start running."
Coates credited Wasmer with helping to stop the shooting. Other students took to Twitter to thank him.
"He grabbed the gun from the kid and got him" until other teachers rushed over to help, Coates said.
Students returned to school on Tuesday, with extra security and stress counselors on hand to work with students and faculty, NBCWashington.com reported.
Perry Hall is a middle-class community along the Interstate 95 corridor, northeast of Baltimore city. The school is the largest in the county, with 2,200 students.
More content from NBCNews.com:
Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
ray lewis steven tyler national anthem paterno newt gingrich joe paterno dead joe pa joe pa
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.