18-year-old charged with murder after teen fatally shot outside Baltimore County high school
An 18-year-old is facing murder charges after a the fatal shooting of a teen outside of a Baltimore County high school in March, police said Monday.
Challah Haywood was charged with murder and is being held without bond in connection with the death of a 16-year-old boy, officers said.
Shooting outside high school
The 16-year-old was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds outside of Lansdowne High School on March 4, according to police.
Officers responded to the scene in the 3900 block of Hollins Ferry Road around 2:40 p.m. after a shooting was reported in the parking lot of a shopping center.
According to police, the teen was chased on school property by Haywood. The teen fell after he was shot once, then Haywood allegedly shot the teen several more times, officers said.
The teen was taken to a hospital where he later died, police said. Haywood allegedly fled the scene in a car.
The shooting occurred about 30 minutes after school had been dismissed for the day.
Following an initial investigation, Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said he believed the shooting was targeted.
According to police, the teen was a Lansdowne High student, but did not attend classes on the day of the shooting.
School community reacts to shooting
Students returned to their classrooms one day after the shooting, where they were met with an increased police presence.
The school district also provided counselors and support staff for students.
Parent Caroline Westmore said she planned to drop off and pick up her daughter to ensure she didn't have to walk following the act of gun violence.
"I told her she can go to the store, but after school, I'll pick her up and we're going home," Westmore told WJZ in March.
She also said parents need to take more of an active role if their child is skipping class.
"Normally, if my daughter misses a day, they call me and they tell me that she's absent," she said. "His mom or father should've gotten a call that he wasn't in school, and they should've come to look to see where he was at."
