Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Parents sue school after daughter was shot dead by ex-boyfriend in hall

Officials ‘could have prevented this tragedy’, claim lawyers

Dan Morse
Wednesday 22 January 2020 15:39 GMT
Comments
Emergency responders on the scene of the shooting at Great Mills High School in Great Mills, Maryland on 20 March 2018
Emergency responders on the scene of the shooting at Great Mills High School in Great Mills, Maryland on 20 March 2018 (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The parents of a Maryland teenager who was fatally shot at her high school have sued St Mary's County school officials, alleging that they knew the threat posed by her ex-boyfriend and failed to protect her.

“Great Mills High School could have prevented this tragedy,” the parents' lawyers wrote in litigation filed on Friday at the US District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland.

On the morning of 20 March 2018, Austin Rollins, 17, walked into the school armed with a 9mm handgun, tracked down his ex-girlfriend, Jaelynn Willey, 16, and shot her in the head, according to police. The bullet struck a second student, 14 years old, in the leg.

Within three minutes, a St Mary's sheriff's deputy working as a school resource officer confronted Rollins. The deputy and Rollins fired their weapons at roughly the same time. Rollins shot himself in the head, according the sheriff's office, while the deputy's round hit the gun held by the teenager.

In their lawsuit, Jaelynn's parents assert that before the shooting, school personnel had seen Rollins “grab, push and yell at” their daughter.

“Rollins would stalk the decedent around school, waiting for her directly outside of classrooms,” attorneys Lauren Geisser, Lauren Bell and Kathleen McClernan wrote in the litigation, adding that “Rollins would frequently grab decedent by the wrists, in school, causing her excruciating pain”.

In a statement on Tuesday, the St Mary's school system said the shooting could not have been predicted.

“The death of Jaelynn Willey was a tragedy and the entire school community mourns her loss,” the statement said. “However, the contention that school staff could have somehow prevented this tragedy is incorrect. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that any employee of the St Mary's County Public Schools had any reason to foresee the tragic shooting that took place.”

The shooting, inside a school about 70 miles southeast of Washington, thrust St Mary's County into the national debate over whether schools should arm teachers or add more armed security on campuses. The shooting occurred days before thousands rallied in Washington and throughout the country to protest gun violence, sparked by the shooting in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 dead at a high school.

The lawsuit, earlier reported by Southern Maryland News, also contends that in the months leading up to the shooting, Jaelynn's parents had told a coach at the school that “they were concerned about their daughter's well-being” as it related to Rollins.

Additionally, the school “had metal detecting wands at its disposal, which it chose not to use,” and was equipped with “limited surveillance cameras that it chose not to watch nor pay attention to”, according to the lawsuit.

The Washington Post

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in