Student shot inside Maryland high school; another student in custody

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A 16-year-old student was shot inside Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, on Monday, and Rockville City Police said another 16-year-old student was in custody. Police said officers were dispatched at 2:15 p.m. after reports of shots fired at the suburban school, which is about Washington, D.C., according to the Rockville City Police Department.

Police said one student was found with a gunshot wound in a hallway and taken to a hospital in stable condition. In a statement posted to Facebook, the department said the suspect was also a 16-year-old student.

Rockville police said the suspect was identified and arrested near the school shortly after the shooting. The department said that at that time, “At this time, there is no further threat to public safety,” adding that investigators were searching for the firearm used in the incident.

Rockville Police Chief Jason West said investigators were still looking for the gun used in the shooting and that the alleged shooter’s motive remained under investigation. West also said authorities did not find any other suspects after a search, and that other students in the area were being interviewed.

Outside the school, Heather Rodriguez said she drove to the campus after hearing about the shooting. Rodriguez said her daughter, a ninth-grade student at Wootton, texted that she heard gunshots, that the school was in lockdown, and that police were everywhere.

In the message described by Rodriguez, her daughter wrote, “Everyone’s acting like we are going to die,” and later added, “If anything happens, I love you.” Rodriguez said other parents were also monitoring phones as they tried to communicate with students during the lockdown.

Montgomery County Public Schools said mental health support was available for students and their families. Superintendent Thomas W. Taylor said in a statement, “Today is a heartbreaking and deeply unsettling day for our entire community,” adding that “The kids and our staff are emotionally exhausted and understandably traumatized by today’s events.”