Perry Hall Shooting Over Bullying?
One Perry High School student has been shot after a shooting occurred on Monday, the first day of classes.
One suspect, a 15-year-old student at the school, has been taken into custody for the crime. The identity of the shooting victim has not been revealed, but the 17-year-old was taken by helicopter to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he is in critical condition, according to The Baltimore Sun.
According to witnesses at the Baltimore County school, a teacher and a guidance counselor were able to grab the shooter. In obtaining the weapon, the duo perhaps prevented further injuries.
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"I heard something pop three tables away, near the vending machine," one student, Julia Schoennegel, recounted to the Sun. "It sounded like a bag of chips being opened."
Then the 14-year-old freshman saw smoke.
"I saw a kid, a teacher grabbed him, he has his arms around him," said Schoennagel. "We dove to the ground and ran out from the back of the cafeteria."
Police said that the shooter entered the cafeteria after concealing it. They have the weapon, but have not confirmed what kind of gun it is. There were approximately 200 students in the cafeteria at the time of the shooting.
Early reports have indicated that the shooting was not a random act of violence but that the shooter specifically targeted the shooting victim.
"It appears this was a one-on-one grudge situation," said a police source speaking to CBS News.
The 2,300 students at Perry Hall High are being dismissed on a class-by-class basis. Bus riders are being transported home.
On Facebook, many students have posted messages that indicate that the shooter had a double-barrel shotgun. Other posts on the social media site said that those in the cafeteria had been "making fun" of the shooter just before the shots were fired.
Police have not commented on the details as the investigation continues.
"We send our students to school to be safe and this is a horrible way to start a school year," Maryland State Schools Superintendent Lillian Lowery told the Perry Hall Patch.
