Principal testifies during trial for teen charged in Maryland high school shooting
A Maryland high school principal testified on Thursday during the trial of a teenager charged with the September 2024 murder of a fellow student.
Jaylen Prince, 16, is being charged as an adult for the deadly shooting of 15-year-old Warren Grant in a Joppatowne High School bathroom.
On Thursday, during the third day of the trial, the judge warned that any threatening comments by members of the gallery would not be tolerated and could bring criminal charges.
Joppatowne High School principal testifies
Joppatowne High School Principal Melissa Williams took the stand Thursday and recounted the morning of Sept. 6, 2024.
Williams said she was on a call in her office when she noticed students running from the B Wing of the school. She followed and eventually saw five or six students carrying an unresponsive Grant down the hallway.
Williams told the jury that Prince had a history of getting into trouble at school. He had been involved in multiple fights and had more than 100 absences in the 2023-24 school year, Williams said.
According to Williams, the day of the fatal shooting was the fourth day of the school year, but it was the first day Prince had been at school that year.
Williams testified that she saw Prince about an hour before the shooting. She recalled telling Prince to see the assistant principal about getting a locker, since it is against school policy to carry a backpack all day.
Photos of Prince's backpack at the scene of the shooting were shown in court. Witnesses said they saw Prince pull something from the bag before a gunshot was fired.
Video brings out emotion in courtroom
The prosecution played the video of Grant's final moments, while EMTs worked to keep him alive after he had been shot.
Harford County deputy Shane Fraser testified that, "it was chaos, there were people everywhere," when he responded to the shooting at the high school.
Frasier said he encountered Grant lying semi-conscious on the floor with a gunshot wound in his chest. He said Grant had a very low blood pressure and was taking only five breaths a minute.
Multiple people left the gallery crying as the video played, and tissues were passed around the jury box.
Those tears continued as photos were shown of Grant's body at the Chief Medical Examiner's Office. Dr. Stephanie Dean testified that the bullet tore through his aorta. She ruled the cause of death a gunshot wound to the chest, and the manner homicide.
In cross-examination, the defense clarified that when a manner of death is ruled a homicide, it means someone died at the hands of someone else, but does not indicate guilt or intent.
Recreating the scene of the Joppatowne High School shooting
Det. Michael Wilsynski with the Harford County Sheriff's forensic services unit testified Thursday, sharing how deputies recreated the shooting scene using 3D cameras.
Video Forensic Analyst Michael Widenhouse also testified about how he collected and analyzed hours of surveillance video from the school after the shooting.
That video was shared in court. It showed Prince skipping down a hallway as a crowd of students tried to leave the school after Grant was shot.
Video from outside the school showed Prince interacting with another classmate who appeared to take something from the backpack. It was unclear what the item was.
Firearm never recovered in Maryland school shooting
The firearm that was used in the Joppatowne High School shooting was never recovered.
During the investigation, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said Maryland's Child Interrogation Protection Act hampered the ability of law enforcement to find the gun.
Under the state law, minors must consult with an attorney and a parent before they can be interrogated.
"...we are not allowed to ask the person who committed that act because of this crazy legislation," he said.
During a bail hearing, prosecutors indicated that Prince may know where the missing gun is.
Officials reported finding bullets in Prince's room and photos of him holding the firearm on his phone.
Classmates say argument over a girl prompted school shooting
During the second day of the trial, a close friend of Grant and Prince testified that an argument over a girl led to the deadly shooting in Joppatown High.
The student recalled seeing Prince flirting with Grant's girlfriend. The student said he told Prince that Grant said to stay away from the girl, and Prince replied that "Nobody wants her."
According to the student, Prince seemed agitated after that interaction.
Another student said Grant told him to take a video when he and Prince began arguing in a school bathroom right before the shooting.
The video captured Prince saying, "I am going to kill you," before he reached into his backpack and produced a gun.
