BALTIMORE– A 16-year-old boy was arrested and charged in the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy at Joppatowne High School on Friday.
Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said in a press conference Friday that the 16-year-old student allegedly shot a 15-year-old during a fight inside a men’s bathroom just after 12:30 p.m. Witnesses of the crime said that both boys were arguing before the 16-year-old pulled a gun out of his backpack and shot 15-year-old, Warren Grant.
The 16-year-old is being charged as an adult with:
- First and second-degree murder
- First and second-degree assault
- Use of a firearm in the commission of a felony/crime of violence
- Possession of a firearm as a minor
Grant was found suffering from a single gunshot wound and was tended to by school nurses, staff, and students. He was then taken by helicopter to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center where he was pronounced dead after arriving.
After the shooting, the 16-year-old boy fled the school and was found in a nearby neighborhood after residents called 911 to report a suspicious person trying to break into a house. Around 12:52 p.m. he was taken into custody without incident.
He is currently being held in Harford County Detention Center awaiting his initial appearance before a judicial officer.
“That type of thing doesn’t happen here”
Kermit Lindren who lives across the street from the school claimed he came home to find law enforcement swarming his apartment complex.
“There were police and they had this all blocked off and they were having people that were in the building stay in the building and those that were out wandering around, get away,” he said. “One of the tenants saw him coming and running into the stairwell and they reported it to police and that’s how Harford County was able to pick him up so quick which was really good.”
“He should be charged as an adult because he was doing adult things in a place where children should be learning,” a Joppatowne resident said. “Children have a right to learn…and that was taken away from these babies…now they can’t learn peacefully.”
The sheriff’s department stated they believe no other suspects are involved and there is no ongoing threat to the community or school.
The events leading up to the shooting and the relationship between the victim and suspect are still under investigation.
The department also stated that the suspect has had 10 prior contacts with the police over the past two years.
“I graduated from that high school, I never thought in a million years something like that would happen. That’s just disgusting. That type of thing doesn’t happen here in Joppatowne, never ever,” Matthew Wiggins, another resident said. “Why did you have to bring a gun into this situation? Why are you even bringing it into the school? School is supposed to be about safety, learning, discipline…it breaks my heart.”
Harford County School Superintendent Sean Bulson shared that students will be offered counseling when classes resume on Thursday.