CATONSVILLE, Md. — Baltimore County Police are investigating a shooting outside Catonsville High School where a 16-year-old boy was injured.
According to police, the school resource officer reported a shooting in the back parking lot of Catonsville High School just after 3 p.m on Tuesday involving a Catonsville High student.
The student was taken to an area trauma center with non-life threatening injuries
Out of an abundance of caution, officers went in and evacuated the school.
Tyler Mikalaski said he and his friends were outside when the shooting happened.
“We heard three like pops or gunshots,” he said. “We thought they were fireworks.”
Mikalaski described a chaotic scene of students running for their safety while the suspect fired off several more shots.
“We stood there for a second. We weren’t sure what was happening. We saw kids running and then we saw a white car pull up. We saw a passenger hopped out with a gun. We saw the gun and we started running towards the street over there and we saw the car drive off,” he said.
Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt said police are working to find out a motive for the shooting.
“We are going to run out every lead. That is part of our investigation. Not only to figure out who is responsible and to bring them to justice. We are going to run this case out. We will make an arrest in this case. It’s just going to take some time,” she said.
Catonsville High released a statement on the incident:
Dear Catonsville High School Parents, Staff, Students and Community Members:
Baltimore County Police are investigating the serious incident that occurred outside of our school building today. Following dismissal this afternoon at approximately 2:57 p.m., school administration was notified by our School Resource Officer that a student had been shot outside of the building in the rear parking lot. We immediately went into lockdown while the police searched and cleared the building out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of students and staff who were at the school participating in afterschool activities and athletic practices. The lockdown was lifted once police had completed their search of the building. The student was transported to a local hospital and our thoughts are with the student, their family and friends. We will provide updates as we receive additional information from BCPD.
We are deeply saddened and shaken by today’s incident. Our staff work closely with our School Resource Officer to ensure our school is a safe place for all students to learn and thrive. Violence and weapons have absolutely no place in or outside of our schools and communities. Recognizing that students and staff will want to and need to process and discuss what occurred with trusted friends and adults, we will have counseling staff available to students and staff all day tomorrow and for the rest of the week. Counseling staff will be set up in the media center and students can stop by at any time during the school day to receive support. We will also have additional police presence at the school tomorrow.
Today was a difficult day for the Catonsville High School community. Our community is resilient, and I know that we can always lean on each other for support. Working together, I know that we will continue to do all that we can to keep our school safe and welcoming for all. Do not hesitate to contact me at 443-809-0808 with any questions or concerns. Thank you for your support.
Principal Matt Ames
In response to this shooting, the Catonsville community can expect to see Baltimore County Police patrol units in and around Catonsville High School this week as the investigation into this shooting remains ongoing.
In collaboration with the Baltimore County Public School system, additional resources will also be available throughout the week to students and staff. In addition, members of the Baltimore County Police Department’s Mobile Crisis Team will also be available to provide support.
Baltimore County Police detectives have taken several individuals into custody following the shooting. Detectives believe this was a targeted shooting that resulted from an argument that began off school property, earlier in the day.
The public is being asked to contact officers with any information they may have about the person responsible for committing this crime. Members of the public may contact detectives at 410-307-2020 or call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
