Shooting At Catonsville High School Shakes Students, Parents
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Tuesday's incident at Catonsville High School has rocked a school community to its core.
Students who were inside the school told WJZ's Annie Rose Ramos once the lockdown was put in place, they were told to stay inside their classrooms. But for other students who were outside, many at track and lacrosse practice, they were trying to run for cover anywhere they could find it.
Olivia and Megan were at an engineering club meeting in the basement of the high school when the shooting took place. "We heard on our teacher's radio that there was like a pow, pow, pow," described Olivia, a senior.
As soon as gunshots were heard in Catonsville High School's parking lot, students started sending messages.
"Everybody was texting us on our phones saying, 'are you ok, are you at school, I know you just got there you were just in the parking lot,'" Olivia said.
Parents sent messages too.
"I texted him and I was like, 'are you OK?'" said Blaire, mother to Rodney, a freshman on the track team. Rodney and his team sought shelter in a nearby shed.
"Basically our entire team, which is about 20 to 25, a lot of people bunched up in the shed," Rodney said.
Tuesday's shooting rattled a school community along with every parent, including County Executive, Johnny Olszewski.
"This morning, like thousands of other Baltimore County families, I sent my daughter to school here in Baltimore County," Olszewski said.
Tracy Soltesz was headed to pick up her children from Hillcrest Elementary just months after the shooting Tuesday.
"I was hurrying them up to get them back to my car, my older kid likes to walk home down Frederick Road because we live close enough, I was like not today, get in the car, we're driving home because I don't know what's going on," she said.
Now a community is left coming to terms with a terrifying day.
"I'm just concerned about what's going on, what has changed," said Soltesz.
Baltimore County's Schools Superintendent said support staff will be made available to anyone who needs it at the school on Wednesday.
