Two hurt, shooter dead at US school

Washington : A student who shot and critically wounded two fellow students at a Maryland high school yesterday morning, died after exchanging gunfire with a campus security officer, the county sheriff said.

The school day had barely begun when the student, who has not been identified, shot a male student and a female student at Great Mills High School in St. Mary’s County before the campus security officer intervened, county Sheriff Timothy Cameron told a news conference. 

“Our school resource officer who was stationed inside the school was alerted to the event and the shots being fired,” Cameron said. 

“He pursued the shooter, engaged the shooter; during that engagement he fired a round at the shooter. Simultaneously, the shooter fired a round as well.” 

The officer was not harmed, the sheriff said.

The shooting occurred soon after 8am at Great Mills High School, located about a 90-minute drive southeast of the US capital Washington when a student opened fire on a female pupil with a handgun, St Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron told the MSNBC television network.

The shooter was confirmed dead in hospital at 10.41am. Cameron said investigators would determine whether the shooter died of a wound from the school resource officer’s gun or in some other way.

The female student, who is 16, had been in critical condition but was stabilised and transferred to another hospital, officials at MedStar St Mary’s Hospital said.

A 14-year-old male student, whom the sheriff had earlier said was also in critical condition, was in good condition after treatment.

Police cars and emergency vehicles with flashing lights could be seen surrounding the school.

“It happened really quickly, right after school started,” Jonathan Freese, a Great Mills student, told CNN.