Jaelynn Willey, Maryland teenager critically injured in Tuesday’s school shooting, dead after being taken off life support
16-year-old Maryland girl injured this week in school shooting was taken her off life support two days after being critically injured by a 17-year-old classmate
Jaelynn Willey, 16, died at 11:34pm Thursday night, surrounded by her family, the St. Mary’s County, MD
The 11-grader was shot as was another student, Desmond Barnes, at Great Mills High School, by her ex-boyfriend turned gunman, Austin Wyatt Rollins
Willey’s family Thursday night, announced they planned to take her off life support, and revealed that their daughter was brain dead
Willey was shot by 17-year-old Rollins just before classes started on Mar 19, at the St Mary’s County school
Austin Rollins, who is from a Second Amendment supporting family, and Willey reportedly, had been in a relationship that recently ended
14-year-old Barnes, who was also shot, has been released from the hospital
Rollins also died from a gunshot, after shooting Willey, but it’s unclear whether he was killed by the school resource officer or took his own life
Dead at 16: Jaelynn Willey [photo], injured in a shooting at Great Mills High School in Maryland on Tuesday, died Thursday night, after she was taken off life support
A high school girl who was shot in the head by her ex-boyfriend on Tuesday at their Maryland high school has died. On Thursday, the parents of Jaelynn Willey told the media that their daughter was brain dead and that they planned to take her off life support.
Willey died at 11:34pm that night, surrounded by her family, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Friday.
‘It is with heavy hearts and great sadness we provide this update,’ the office said.
‘On Tuesday … our lives changed completely and totally forever,’ Melissa and Daniel Willey gave an update on their daughter’s welfare, on Thursday evening and signaled their intention to let her go
Jaelynn’s parents Melissa and Daniel Willey, on Thursday night, revealed that their daughter was brain dead. They planned to take her off life support, the grieving parents added.
Willey was shot by 17-year-old Austin Wyatt Rollins just before classes started at Great Mills High School on Tuesday. Rollins also died from a gunshot injury a few hours later, after shooting Willey.
A school resource officer got there within a minute and fired a shot at Rollins, but it’s not yet clear whether Rollins was killed by the officer’s bullet or took he simply took his own life.
Another student, 14-year-old Desmond Barnes, was shot once in the leg during the incident, was stabilized after being transported along with other victims by Medstar to the University of Maryland PG Hospital Center. He has since been released from the hospital.
Shooting victim Jaelynn Willey [right], had recently broken up with Austin Rollins [left], the alleged shooter
Rollins drew a handgun and opened fire, shooting Willey shortly before classes started Tuesday at Great Mills High School.
As reports revealed that the shooter comes from a gun loving family, authorities announced that the Glock handgun used in the shooting was legally owned by the shooter’s dad. In Maryland it is illegal for anyone under age 21 to possess a handgun unless it is required for their employment.
School resource officer Blaine Gaskill [right], was credited with responding to the shooting in under a minute. Rollins died after the shooting, but it’s unclear whether the fatal shot was fired by Gaskill or the killer himself.
A possible motive for the ‘execution’ might lie in the statement by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, on Wednesday, explaining that Austin Rollins and his victim Jaelynn Willey 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 $77,000.
Jaelynn was one of nine siblings, her mother Melissa said at the Thursday press conference, and a member of the swim team.
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.’
Desmond Barnes [photo], was also shot, His injury was non-life threatening and he since been released from the hospital
Another student, 14-year-old Desmond Barnes, was shot in the leg but has since been released from the hospital. His mother, Kimberly Dennis, said her family is ‘eternally grateful’ that her son is ‘alive, doing well and in good spirits’, while expressing sympathy for the Willey family. ‘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,’ she and added.
A YouCaring page set up for Barnes’ hospital bills has raised more than $20,000.
Willey’s death came two days before the upcoming ‘March for Our Lives’, when students from all over the nation US plan to march at the Capitol in Washington, DC to protest the nation’s gun control laws.
The demonstration was organized by survivors of the Parkland school shooting, which happened last month, where 19-year-old gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire, killing 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, from where he’d been expelled.
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