A 16-year-old boy was shot inside Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, on Monday, and another student is in custody, according to police.
Officers with the Montgomery County Police Department were dispatched to the high school at about 2:15 p.m. for a report of shots fired inside the school and found a student who had been shot in a school hallway. That student was taken to the hospital and police described his condition as stable. Both students were boys.
Police said they had one person, another 16-year-old male student, in custody in connection to the shooting. In a news release, police said they will be charging the teenager as an adult.
Rockville City Police Chief Jason West said at a news conference Monday night that the firearm used in the shooting was not found inside the school. The alleged shooter’s motive was still under investigation, he said. Authorities did not find any other suspects after a search.
West added that Wootton’s assigned Community Engagement Officer was not at the high school at the time of the shooting, instead “attending to an issue” at Lakewood Elementary School.
“I think a collaborative partnership between law enforcement and our school community keeps our children safe, and we’re going to continue to do that in the future,” West said.
“I believe that we had approximately seven K-9 dogs that responded to the school to conduct searches, and it was a coordinated effort to keep the students safe and effectively get them out of the school safely and reunited with their parents,” Montgomery County Field Services Assistant Chief David McBain said.
Montgomery County Superintendent of Schools Thomas Taylor said the prolonged search of the high school was done to “prioritize student safety.” Police said there was no ongoing threat to public safety about two hours after the shooting.
“That was the priority this afternoon after today’s incident, and today is a heartbreaking and deeply unsettling day for our entire community. The kids and our staff are emotionally exhausted and understandably traumatized by today’s events,” Taylor said.
School and community reactions
Wootton High School was put on lockdown following the shooting and roads near the school were closed. At 4:40 p.m., police said on social media that students were in the process of being dismissed.
Students who typically travel to school on the bus rode it back home on their usual routes, with police asking parents of those students not to come to the schools. Other students were bused to nearby Robert Frost Middle School to be reunited with their families.
However, the process led to frustrations. For hours, cars lined up and down on Scott Drive in front of the middle school as parents tried to pick up their children. Some parents were seen parking on top of snowbanks and walking toward the schools.
Heather Rodriguez, whose daughter is in the ninth grade at Wootton, said she jumped in her car and drove to the school in a rush of panic after she heard about shooting. She stood outside for several hours, and her daughter texted that she had heard gunshots, that the school was in lockdown and police were everywhere.
“Everyone’s acting like we are going to die,” she said her daughter texted. “If anything happens, I love you.”
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said in a statement that his thoughts were with Wootton students, faculty and their families during “this distressing time,” adding that his office will coordinate with law enforcement and school officials.
“Incidents like this are frightening for all involved,” he said. “Student safety is our highest priority.”
“We wish the student who was injured in this shooting a full and swift recovery. My heart and thoughts are with their family, and all the students and staff that make up the Wootton High School community,” Montgomery County Council President Natali Fani-González said in a statement.
Wootton High School opened for classes Tuesday. Taylor said resources will be made available to students and staff.
“We have emotional supports that are in place for our students and staff for the remainder of the week and beyond as we navigate through this difficult time,” he said.
WTOP’s Alan Etter, Mike Murillo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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