15-Year-Old Maryland High School Student Fatally Shot in School Bathroom

A 15-year-old Maryland high school student died Friday after he was shot in an altercation with another student in a school bathroom.

The student was airlifted to a trauma center and then taken to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, where he succumbed to his injuries, Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler said.

Gahler identified the student as Warren Curtis Grant.

The suspect, a 16-year-old, fled the school after the shooting but was taken into custody “within minutes,” said Gahler, who added that the gun used in the shooting has not been located.

The sheriff said officials did not hear the gunshots but that other students brought the victim out of the restroom, and he was tended by the school nurse until first responders arrived.

“Our hearts are breaking for the victim and the victim’s family, the circumstances are absolutely terrible, and this should not be happening in schools,” Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Sean Bulson said.

Gahler complained several times that Maryland law prevents detectives from interrogating minors without following several guidelines aimed at protecting children from coercion. At a second press conference announcing the victim’s death, he did not repeat those complaints.

Gahler said he was assured by the state’s attorney’s office that there was sufficient evidence to charge the boy and that he would be charged as an adult. He anticipated charges would be filed shortly and that the suspect’s name would be released at that time.