Perry Hall High School Principal Recounts Shooting During Baltimore County Training Session
PERRY HALL, Md. (WJZ)-- It is a harrowing account into the first five minutes of a shooting at Perry Hall High School. The incident left one student seriously injured and another facing charges as an adult. Now, the principal relives that chilling day that day to a group of Baltimore County school leaders.
Gigi Barnett has the story.
Perry Hall High School, 10:40 a.m.: It's the first day of school and the first lunch shift has just begun.
"I'm coming out of a classroom and I hear [a bang]," principal George Roberts explained.
He hears the noise again.
"As soon as I get to a door, the rear entrance of the cafeteria here flies open. And, I see a teacher standing in the doorway and he's just like, 'Get out! Get out! A huge fight,'" Roberts said.
It wasn't a fight. Police say 15-year-old Robert Gladden had brought a gun into the cafeteria and fired at least two shots.
Roberts recounted his story to other Baltimore County principals at a safety training session on Friday.
"One teacher who is tall is holding his hands, Robert's hands, and pressing them against the vending machine," he said.
It's now 10:42 a.m. Two minutes into the shooting, Roberts quickly scans the cafeteria. He spots a group of special needs students hiding under a table. One of them is 17-year-old Daniel Borowy. Roberts rushed to his side.
"He's just kind of collapsed and we see the shot in his upper right side," Roberts said. "He's just moaning at this point. There's nothing he can say or is saying."
10:45 a.m.: Medics rush Borowy to Shock Trauma and teachers usher other students out to safety. But there is one image that Roberts says he will never forget.
"That first five minutes ends with me looking up and seeing a SWAT officer coming in. That's one of the lasting impressions," he said.
Three teachers are credited with getting the gun out of Robert Gladden's hands after the shooting. Meanwhile, Roberts said he is very proud that his faculty, students and staff knew exactly what to do that day because of years of training.
Daniel Borowy is still recuperating from his wounds at home and Robert Gladden is facing 29 charges as an adult, including attempted murder.
