JOPPATOWNE, Md. — Harford County Sheriff's Office has released the name of the suspect arrested in connection to Friday's deadly shooting at Joppatowne High School.
Authorities say 16-year-old Jaylen Prince has been charged as an adult for murder, first- and second-degree assault, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony/crime of violence.
Prince was taken into custody Friday afternoon following a report from a nearby neighbor claiming a suspicious subject attempted to break into a house just 20 minutes after the shooting. Prince is a student at Joppatowne High School.
In a press conference that same day, Sheriff Jeff Gahler said the initial shooting stemmed from a fight that broke out in the bathroom between the victim, 15-year-old Warren Curtis Grant, and the suspected shooter. That was just after 12:30 p.m.
Authorities say Prince allegedly pulled a gun and shot Grant before fleeing the school. Grant was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.
Following the shooting, students were cleared from the building, and parents were directed less than half a mile from campus to Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church for dismissal.
Investigators say that the reason for the fight and the relationship between the victim and the suspect remain under investigation.
However, authorities indicate that Grant and Prince knew each other prior to the shooting.
This shooting comes just four days into the new school year and follows Wednesday's tragedy in Georgia, where two teachers and two students were killed.
Prince is currently being held in the Harford County Detention Center. He is awaiting his initial appearance before a judicial officer.
The Sheriff's Office says that while an arrest has been made, detectives are continuing their investigation.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact Detective Ross with the Harford County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division at 443-409-3555.
