A gunman opened fire at Great Mills High School in St. Mary's County, Maryland, on Tuesday morning, located 65 miles (104 km) southeast of Washington, DC.

The shooter later died after exchanging gunfire with the school's on-site security officer, while two other students were critically wounded.

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What we know so far

• The shooter opened fire on students in a hallway shortly before classes began on Tuesday morning, wounding two.
• The gunman used a handgun in the attack and opened fire on two fellow students.
• The school's on-site resource officer exchanged fire with the shooter.
• The shooter, who has not been identified, later was pronounced dead at the hospital. It remained unclear whether the shooter took his own life.
• A 14-year-old male student is in good condition following the shooting while the 16-year-old female student is in critical condition.

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School officer 'stopped attack'

St. Mary's County Sheriff Timothy Cameron told reporters that the actions of the school's campus security officer "stopped any further assault or attack on any other student."

Emma Gonzalez, one of the students who survived last month's mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida wrote on Twitter: "We are here for you, students of Great Mills, together we can stop this from ever happening again."

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said in a statement that although his prayers are with the victims, "prayers are not enough." He added that the shooting should not halt the conversation on school safety, but rather "serve as a call to action."

School shootings in US: The shooting at Great Mills High School is the latest in a growing list of deadly school shootings in the US. On February 14, a 19-year-old former student used an AR-15 assault-style rifle to kill 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.

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Gun control debate: Ongoing gun violence has sparked a fierce, ongoing debate in the US about gun control. US President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association (NRA) proposed arming teachers to combat shooters in schools. Gun control advocates, however, have urged for a ban on semiautomatic rifles, stricter background checks and other measures to limit ease of access to weapons.

'March for Our Lives' protest: In the aftermath of the shooting in Parkland, teen survivors launched a grassroots campaign for gun control. Their event, dubbed "March for Our Lives," will take place in several cities across the US and is expected to turn out large crowds.

rs/kl (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)

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