A student at Mergenthaler Technical High School in Baltimore, Maryland, has died after being shot Friday in the schoolyard, according to Baltimore police.
School had just started for the year on Monday.
A suspect approached the victim, 17, during dismissal. The encounter became heated and the suspect produced a firearm, Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said at a news conference Friday.
The suspect, also 17, shot the victim multiple times, Harrison said.
The alleged assailant ran into the street and school police apprehended him after a short chase without “incident or injury,” Harrison said.
Authorities also located a firearm that the suspect appeared to throw away, he said.
School police performed CPR on the student at the scene, who suffered life-threatening gunshot wounds, Baltimore police said in a written statement. The victim was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at a local hospital, the release said.
“This is an extremely tragic situation, beyond tragic, to happen in a school at the beginning of the school year,” Harrison said.
The person being held is a student at another high school in the city, according to Harrison. Police have not yet named the victim or the suspect.
Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Santelises thanked officers for apprehending the suspect “within seconds of the incident.”
The school’s security plan was in place and school police were “in place” during the dismissal, Santelises said. Police also said law enforcement was in the schoolyard during the shooting.
After the violent episode, Santelises, along with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, met with some students, according to CNN affiliate WBFF. After school activities were also canceled, according to Baltimore City Public Schools. A large number of students witnessed the shooting, according to Santelises, and the school system is offering grief counseling next week, WBFF reported.
Harrison said the investigation is still ongoing and asked the public to contact police with any information.
Friday’s shooting is the latest incident of violence at the school, also known as Mervo. In April, a student stabbed two classmates during a fight, WBFF reported.
