A student has been shot inside a Maryland high school and a suspect has been detained, police said.
Terrified Thomas S. Wootton High School pupils sheltered in place as the campus was locked down amid the active shooter incident on Monday afternoon.
Montgomery County Police Department officers were dispatched to the school in Rockville, on the outskirts of Washington DC, at around 2.15pm local time.
Around 45 minutes later, the department confirmed that one person had been shot. The victim, later identified as a student, has been transported to hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
The student was found with one gunshot wound in a school hallway, according to police.
‘The shooting occurred inside of the school. One confirmed victim,’ Montgomery Police wrote on X. They later added that one person had been detained.
‘The suspect, also a student, was quickly identified and arrested a short time later near the school,’ police said.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) placed the school on lockdown. Student release began just after 4pm, live footage showed.
A student has been shot inside a Maryland high school and a suspect has been detained, police said. Thomas S. Wootton High School (pictured) was placed on lockdown
Parents wait outside school grounds for news on their children inside, as they began to start releasing students just after 4pm
The suspect, believed to be a fellow student, was placed into custody by officers on the scene
Police closed all roads leading to the school as they secured the area.
Joel Shore, a student who left the school earlier in the day, told WUSA 9 that he was talking with his friends inside the school during the lockdown.
‘It seems like everyone inside is extremely scared,’ he added. ‘I’m shocked. I just wish this didn’t happen.’
Shore added that he is not aware of any metal detectors in the school.
‘They check your student ID and then you just walk right in,’ Shore said.
One parent’s messages with his son said the student heard yelling and banging through the floor above him, the outlet reported.
The student also said he heard special response teams going through the school.
Family members have been told the reunification site is Robert Frost Middle School. Parents have been advised not to arrive at the school campus.
Montgomery Council Council President Natali Fani-Gonzalez said she is ‘shocked’ and ‘heartbroken’ by the shooting and the safety of the students remains a top priority.
‘This shouldn’t happen in our schools at all,’ she told the outlet.
‘The shooting occurred inside of the school. One confirmed victim,’ Montgomery Police wrote on X. They later added that one person had been detained
The police department confirmed that one person has been wounded inside the school
This is a breaking news story with updates to follow.
