(Updated) Jaelynn Willey, a 16-year-old victim from Tuesday’s shooting at Great Mills High School in Great Mills, Maryland, was declared brain dead by her family on the evening of March 22. Jaelynn’s mother, Melissa Willey, made the announcement at a Thursday press conference. While holding another of her children, the mom said that Jaelynn would be taken off life support that same evening, according to The Washington Times.
“My daughter was hurt by a boy who shot her in the head and took everything from our lives,” she said, before going on to refer to her daughter’s attributes in the past tense.
“We will be taking her off life support this evening. She’s brain dead. There’s nothing,” Mrs. Willey said, breaking up between sentences.
The announcement was made at UM Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, Maryland, where Jaelynn had been on life support since the shooting. Another shooting victim, a 14-year-old classmate of Jaelynn’s, was shot in the leg but released from the hospital the day after the shooting, according to ABC News.
The gunman, who died at the scene of the shootings, is identified as 17-year-old Austin Rollins. Police say that Rollins and Jaelynn had been in a relationship but had broken up the day before the shootings.
At approximately 7:58 a.m. on the morning of the shootings, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office and Maryland State Police personnel responded to the high school for reports of shots fired inside the school. When police arrived, they discovered three individuals suffering from gunshot wounds, according to a release from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputy First Class Blaine Gaskill / courtesy St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office
Great Mills High School student Jaelynn Willey, 16, and a classmate were shot, allegedly by Austin Rollins, 17, in a school hallway just before classes began on Tuesday, police said.
The school’s resource officer engaged Rollins and the two exchanged gunfire; Rollins was hit and later died at a hospital.
Jaelynn was the target of gunman Austin Wyatt Rollins in the shooting at Great Mills High School. According to police, there had been a previous relationship between the two. ~ ABC News
Deputy First Class Blaine Gaskill is The St. Mary’s County Deputy Sheriff assigned to Great Mills High School, as the School Resource Officer, (SRO), who engaged the shooter.
Officials are still collecting any and all information related to the March 20 shootings at Great Mills High School. Anyone with information pertaining to the case is asked to contact Detective Melissa Hulse at (301) 475-4200 extension *1996 or by email at melissa.hulse@stmarysmd.com. Information may also be provided to 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). If anyone has photographs or video of the incident, please send to FBI.gov/greatmills.
On Friday, March 23, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office released a statement saying, “The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, on behalf of the Willey family, advises that on March 22, 2018, at 11:34 pm, Jaelynn Rose Willey died, surrounded by her family. It is with heavy hearts and great sadness we provide this update.”
A YouCaring fund raiser was established for Jaelynn. For more on the story, see the video accompanying this article.
~ Written by:Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
