16-year-old student shot in school on Tuesday is being taken off life support

(Image credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

published 23 March 2018

A 17-year-old student who brought a gun to Great Mills High School in St. Mary's County, Maryland, on Tuesday did not live to see his victim die. But by Thursday, it was clear that Jaelynn Willey, 16, had "no life left in her," her mother, Melissa Willey, told reporters Thursday night, and her parents had decided to remove her from life support. "On Tuesday ... our lives changed completely and totally forever," Melissa Willey said. "My daughter was hurt by a boy who shot her in the head and took everything from our lives."

Just before class on Tuesday, police say, Austin Rollins took out his father's Glock handgun and opened fire, hitting Willey and a 14-year-old student who was released from the hospital on Wednesday. A school security officer, sheriff's Deputy First Class Blaine Gaskill, responded within a minute and shot Rollins, St. Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron said. It isn't clear yet if Rollins killed himself or was shot dead by Gaskill. "All indications suggest the shooting was not a random act of violence," the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday, adding that Rollins and the girl had been in a recently ended relationship.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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