On Monday, February 9, 2026, the peaceful environment of Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, was disturbed by an unimaginable incident: a student shooting that left the school community in turmoil and parents anxiously seeking information about their children.
According to various reports and statements from local authorities, a 16-year-old male student was shot in the stomach by a classmate in a hallway as the school day was concluding, prompting a swift and vigorous response from law enforcement and raising pressing questions about the safety and support systems within schools.
Police were called to the school at approximately 2:15 p.m. after receiving reports of shots being fired inside the building. Officers from Montgomery County Police and Rockville City Police, accompanied by tactical agents and K-9 units, responded within minutes, effectively securing the campus and initiating a systematic search for evidence and any remaining threats.
Wootton High School Shooting
A 16-year-old male was shot within the premises of Thomas S. Wootton High School, located in Rockville, Maryland, on Monday, and another student has been apprehended, as reported by the police. Officers from the Montgomery County Police Department were called to the high school at 2:15 p.m. following reports of gunfire in the vicinity and located a student who had sustained gunshot wounds in a hallway.
The injured student was transported to the hospital, where his condition was reported to be stable. Authorities indicated that they have taken another 16-year-old male student into custody in relation to the shooting incident. During a press conference on Monday evening, Rockville City Police Chief Jason West stated that the county police department is collaborating with the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s office to determine charges for the detained student.
According to police, they intend to charge the teenager as an adult. He also mentioned that the weapon utilised in the shooting was not found within the school premises.
No officer Was Present During The School Shooting Incident
According to a statement from Montgomery County Police, the 16-year-old suspect, who is accused of shooting another student at Thomas S. Wootton High School on Monday, will face trial as an adult. The police apprehended the suspect, a male from Rockville, near the school shortly after the shooting occurred.
They have not yet recovered the firearm used in the incident, nor have they identified a motive, as stated during a press conference on Monday night. Rockville Police Chief James West mentioned that the “community engagement officer” assigned to Wootton was on duty at nearby Lakewood Elementary School, addressing another issue, and was not present on the high school campus at the time of the shooting.
He added, “Thanks to our swift response, we had officers on the scene within minutes.”
Gun violence across the state
Incidents of shootings within school premises are infrequent in Maryland. The following is a recent violence events in the state:
- Last week in Glen Burnie, a 7-year-old boy unintentionally shot himself in the finger while in a classroom. A man residing with the boy’s mother faced charges for permitting a minor to access a firearm.
- In 2024, a 16-year-old boy from Harford County fatally shot a 15-year-old classmate in a bathroom at Joppatowne High School.
- In 2019, at Baltimore’s Frederick Douglass High School, a staff member sustained injuries after being shot by a family member of a student in the school lobby.
- In 2018, a 16-year-old girl was fatally shot at Great Mills High School in St. Mary’s County by her ex-boyfriend.
