A 15-year-old student was fatally shot at Joppatowne High School, Maryland on Friday, following an altercation with a classmate in a bathroom, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
Warren Curtis Grant, 15, of Edgewood, Maryland, died at a hospital after being airlifted from the school, located about 23 miles northeast of Baltimore. The shooting occurred shortly after noon on what was reportedly the alleged shooter’s first day at the school.
Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler described the day as “tragic” during a press conference, noting it was only the fourth day of the new school year.
According to authorities, a 16-year-old student, whose name has not been released due to his age, allegedly shot Grant during a fight in a boys’ bathroom. The suspect fled the scene but was apprehended at a nearby house off-campus after police received a tip.
The incident prompted a massive response from law enforcement, with over 100 officers arriving at the scene within 15 minutes. A police helicopter landed on the school’s football field as part of the emergency response.
School officials confirmed that the shooting stemmed from a fight on school grounds. The sheriff’s office emphasized that while they initially responded to reports of a possible active shooter, it was determined to be an isolated incident.
Due to Maryland’s Childhood Interrogation Protection Act, passed in 2022, police are not permitted to interview the suspect without an attorney present and without the minor being informed of their rights. However, the state’s attorney believes there is sufficient evidence to proceed with the case.
The shooting caused significant confusion and panic among parents and students. The school district initially referred to the incident vaguely as a “fight on campus between two known parties” in an alert to parents, later confirming that a weapon had been brought onto campus and used.
Students were evacuated to the nearby Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church for pickup, with reports of a line stretching over two football fields in length as parents rushed to retrieve their children.
This tragic event occurs just two days after a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, where four students were killed and nine others injured, highlighting ongoing concerns about school safety and gun violence in the United States.
