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Sheriff's Office: Maryland high school shooting suspect died from self-inflicted gunshot to head

By fox5dc.com staff
Published  March 27, 2018 4:34pm EDT
U.S.
FOX 5 Atlanta
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A photo of Austin Rollins from his Facebook page that appears to have been taken several years ago. Authorities say he is the suspected gunman in a shooting at Great Mills High School in Maryland that left two other students hospitalized.

GREAT MILLS, Md. - The 17-year-old suspected gunman who wounded two of his classmates during a shooting inside his Maryland high school last week has been determined to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot to his head, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office said on Monday.

According to officials, evidence shows Austin Rollins fired a single shot in a school hallway that struck Jaelynn Willey in the head at around 7:57 a.m. on March 20. The same shot also struck another student, 14-year-old Desmond Barnes, in the leg. Barnes was later discovered by responding officers after he took shelter in a classroom.

After walking through the school, Rollins was confronted by the school resource officer, Deputy Blaine Gaskill, in another hallway three minutes later. Authorities said Rollins then shot himself in the head and at the same time, Gaskill fired a shot that struck the gun that was in Rolllins' hand.

The sheriff's office released 911 calls from made from inside the high school on the morning of the shooting along with a map of the school showing the timeline of movements of Rollins and the school resource officer. (App users: Click here to see diagram)

Rollins was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Willey was determined to be brain dead and died after being taken off life support by her parents two days following the shooting. The 16-year-old girl will be laid to rest on Friday.

Barnes was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and was released the following day.

Officials said the gun used by Rollins during the school shooting was legally owned by his father. It is illegal in Maryland for any person under the age of 21 to possess a handgun unless it is required for their employment.