The mother of a 16-year-old girl shot by a fellow student at her southern Maryland high school says her daughter is brain dead and will be taken off life support.
Jaelynn Willey and another student were wounded when 17-year-old Austin Rollins opened fire Tuesday at Great Mills High School in the town of Great Mills.
Rollins was confronted by a school resource officer. But police say it is still unclear whether Rollins took his own life or was shot to death by the officer.
Investigators say Rollins and Jaelynn had dated and that he apparently targeted her.
Tuesday’s tragedy came a month after a former student killed 17 people at a Parkland, Florida, high school, setting off a nationwide debate about gun control that appears to show no signs of slowing down. Nikolas Cruz has been charged with multiple counts in that shooting.
Thousands of students are expected to gather in Washington Saturday as part of the nationwide “March for Our Lives” demonstration demanding more restrictions on gun sales and safer schools.
President Donald Trump has called for arming some teachers after they receive extensive training, but has stopped short of pushing for an increase in the 18-year-old minimum age for many gun purchases. Lawmakers have also balked at banning the sale of assault weapons like the one used in the Florida shooting rampage.
