A teenage girl who was shot when a classmate opened fire inside their Maryland high school is brain dead and is being removed from life support, her mother said Thursday.
Melissa Willey told news reporters Thursday night that her daughter, 16-year-old Jaelynn Willey, has "no life left in her." She said Jaelynn would be removed from life support during the evening, by the family's decision.
The mother, holding a young baby, said, "On Tuesday ... our lives changed completely and totally forever. My daughter was hurt by a boy who shot her in the head and took everything from our lives."
The teen was shot Tuesday by 17-year-old Austin Rollins at Great Mills High School in St. Mary's County.
Rollins died after shooting Willey. A school resource officer arrived within a minute of Willey being shot and fired at Rollins. It was not yet clear whether Rollins was killed by the officer's bullet or took his own life.
The St. Mary's County sheriff's office said Wednesday that Rollins and the girl had been in a relationship that recently ended.
"All indications suggest the shooting was not a random act of violence," police said in a statement.
Willey had been in critical condition at the University of Maryland Prince George's Hospital Center. A fundraising page to help her family has raised more than $59,000.
Willey was one of nine siblings, her mother said, and a member of the swim team.
The shooting occurred just before classes were to begin Tuesday, according to the sheriff's office, which said the gun used belonged to Rollins' father.
A 14-year-old boy who was shot in the thigh during the encounter was released Wednesday from a hospital.
In an email Thursday, his mother, Kimberly Dennis, said her family is "eternally grateful" that her son, Desmond Barnes, is "alive, doing well and in good spirits."
She expressed sympathy for Willey and her family, and added, "We are also praying for the entire Great Mills High School family and young people around this country. As a community and nation, we must continue to work and fight for a world that is safe for our children."
Great Mills High School has about 1,600 students and is near the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, about 65 miles southeast of Washington.
A Section on 03/23/2018