Student Shot at Baltimore High School

A 17-year-old Baltimore high school student was shot today on the first day of school. Police tell the Baltimore Sun that the male Perry Hall High School student, whose condition was not available, was taken to a hospital. The suspect is in custody and the rest of the students have been evacuated. "It's horrifying," says a Baltimore County councilman who lives next to the school. "This is a very peaceful community."

Parents tell WJZ-TV there may have been a Facebook threat against the school; there are also unconfirmed reports that the victim was shot in the back in the school cafeteria. The station has video of a shirtless young man in handcuffs, the AP notes.

Update: August 28, 2012

A 15-year-old boy is charged with attempted first-degree murder after he allegedly opened fire on a fellow student during the first day of school.

Police identified the suspect as Robert Wayne Gladden, accused of shooting a Perry Hall High School classmate just before 11:00 a.m in the cafeteria, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Witnesses said that Gladden shot one round at the victim's back before teachers at the Baltimore County high school grabbed him, releasing a second round toward the ceiling.

As of Monday evening, the 17-year-old victim remained in critical condition under supervision at the Maryland Schock Trauma Center.

According to the Associated Press:

The suspect's father spoke to a reporter at his home that evening and said his son was the shooter. When asked about a motive for the shooting, the father indicated his son had been bullied. He gave no further details. 

A woman who was also at the home and said she was related to the father, gave the following statement on the family's behalf: "We are horrified. We did not see this coming and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and the victim's family."

In a statement Monday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who recently made an unrelated visit to the school, expressed his sympathies for the community.

"My thoughts are with the Perry Hall High School community -- students, families and faculty -- in this difficult time," he said. "Gun violence has no place anywhere, least of all in our nation's schools. I'd like to thank the local educators and law enforcement personnel who took action to help prevent additional students from getting hurt.

Authorities delayed naming Gladden as the suspect until they decided to charge him as an adult. He is also charged with first-degree assault.

Gladden is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on Sept. 7, Patch reports. He is detained without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center.