A judge ordered a 16-year-old suspect held without bond Wednesday in the shooting inside Thomas S. Wootton High School, as prosecutors laid out new details about how the gun may have been brought onto campus, WTOP reported.
During the bond hearing, prosecutors said the teenager texted a friend and asked him to bring a backpack to school — a bag prosecutors believe was carrying the gun, WTOP reported. The teen is charged as an adult with attempted second-degree murder, multiple assault counts and weapons charges.
The case stems from Monday’s shooting at the Rockville high school. At a news conference Tuesday, Rockville City Police Chief Jason L. West said the suspect pointed a gun at a 15-year-old female student earlier in the day before shooting another student at the school, according to a Rockville City Police Department update. The girl was not injured.
West said the 16-year-old male student who was shot remained in stable condition at a local hospital. Investigators are still working to determine a motive, including whether there was a prior relationship between the students and how the defendant acquired the firearm, the police department said.
West was joined at the Rockville City Hall briefing by Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy, Montgomery County Sheriff Maxwell C. Uy and Montgomery County Police 1st District Commander Capt. Jordan Satinsky, the police department said.
Authorities have described the recovered weapon as a Polymer80 9mm handgun that police believe was used in the shooting. West said the weapon is commonly referred to as a “ghost gun,” and investigators are working to trace how it was obtained and how it made its way into the school, WTOP reported.
The defendant faces attempted second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault and firearms-related charges, including possession of a dangerous weapon on school property, the police department said. The preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 20, in Montgomery County District Court.
Police said the investigation remains active.
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