High school on lockdown after shooting in Maryland

Two people and a gunman were injured and a high school was placed into lockdown during a shooting in Maryland.

Great Mills High School confirmed an attack in their school just 8am (12pm GMT) on Tuesday, and said a gunman entered the school and shot two people before being "engaged by the school resource officer".

St Mary's County Sheriff's spokesman Julie Yingling said there were no fatalities, and confirmed three people had been shot, one of those confirmed as the gunman.

She did not know how the gunman had been injured, but all three have been taken to hospital.

AFP reported all three were in a "critical condition". The gunman shot one male student and one female student.

County Sheriff Timothy Cameron said: "We don't know the relationship; we don't know the motivation."

The school was evacuated, with pupils taken to a nearby school where a reunification centre has been set up.

A St Mary's County Public School spokesman said: "The building is orderly and the Sheriff's Office is conducting an investigation."

Mollie Davis, a student at the school, tweeted: "Hi Twitter. I am in Great Mills HS. My school is on a very real lockdown threat and there's already someone possibly dead. Please pray for us.

"You never think it'll be your school and then it is. Great Mills is a wonderful school and somewhere I am proud to go. Why us?"

She later added: "I am safe. The police came to my classroom and saw us to the bathroom and back and said we would be leaving soon."

St Mary's County sheriff's office told parents not to go to the school, but to report to nearby Leonardtown High School.

Jonathan Freese, a student at the school, spoke to CNN from inside his Maths classroom. He said the incident happened around 8am (12pm GMT), almost as soon as school had started.

He said: "I've heard one person got hurt trying to get the gun.

"I'm a little shaken up. I didn't think it would really happen. It happened in the art hallway.

"I'm surprised I didn't (hear gunshots).

"Police are checking on students and seeing if they are safe and we are going to be escorted out. We are told to leave our stuff.

"The police have responded really quickly."

He said they had completed training for the event of a gunman in school.

He said: "I know I'm safe. Everyone responded, I heard sirens within five minutes."

The county public schools' tweeted: "There has been a Shooting at Great Mills High School. The school is on lock down the event is contained, the Sheriff's office is on the scene additional information to follow."

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said: "We are closely monitoring the situation at Great Mills High School. @MDSP is in touch with local law enforcement and ready to provide support. Our prayers are with students, school personnel, and first responders."

The school has faced threats of a shooting in the past, and just last month, the principal Jake Heibel told parents a threat was "not substantiated".

Three years ago the school was evacuated and every locker searched after a hoax call was made threatening the school.

According to the Baltimore Sun, St. Mary's Ryken High School, a private school about 15 minutes away from Great Mills, has gone into lockdown.

The shooting comes four days before the planned March For Our Lives, organised after the Florida shooting in February, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 people were killed.

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