1 student dead after shooting in a Maryland high school dispute, police say

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JOPPA, Md. (AP) — A student at a Maryland high school died after being shot by another student during an altercation on Friday in a school bathroom, Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler said.

Warren Curtis Grant, 15, died after the shooting at Joppatowne High School, the sheriff said at a media briefing.

A 16-year-old student whom police identified as the shooter fled shortly afterward but was caught minutes later nearby.

“He has yet to be charged, but will be charged, and at the time those charges are preferred as an adult, we will release the name of the suspect,” Gahler said.

Gahler also said that the sheriff's office has had more than 10 incidents since 2022 “where the suspect was either the victim, witness or the suspect in an incident handled by the Harford County Sheriff's Office," adding that the investigation was in its early stages.

Shortly after the shooting, the sheriff’s office asked people to avoid the area, but emphasized that the confrontation was an “isolated incident, not an active shooter.” A parent-student reunification center was established at a nearby church. More than 100 personnel responded to the high school about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Baltimore, Gahler said.

The fight happened two days after a shooter whom authorities identified as a 14-year-old student killed four people at a high school outside Atlanta. Wednesday's attack renewed debate about safe storage laws for guns and had parents wondering how to talk to their children about school shootings and trauma.