17-year old boy shot on first day of school by 15-year old boy

Daniel Borowy, age 17.

A 17-year old male student, named Daniel Borowy, is in critical condition after a 15-year old boy, Robert Wayne Gladden, brought a loaded shotgun to the first day of school and opened fire in the cafeteria, in a high school in Perry Hall, Maryland, hitting Daniel in the back.  Luckily, a school counselor reacted quickly and tackled the boy, with only one other shot being fired.  The shooter is now in custody.

From an article:

Sophomore Nick DiPaula said it was almost the end of his lunch period when he heard a loud bang near him in the cafeteria and he and a friend turned around to see what it was. 

"We just see him with the gun and he's aiming it at my table," DiPaula, 15, said. 

A school counselor he identified as Jesse Wasmer ran over and tackled the gunman, DiPaula said, as he and other students hit the floor and another teacher started yelling, "Get out of the building, get out of the building!" 

Police said they do not believe the victim was targeted. 

It was "overwhelming," said Julia Schoennagel, 14, a freshman. "It was my first day, and I was excited to meet my teachers and see who was in my classes," she said. "It was unreal, I couldn't believe it. You never think that would happen at your school." 

Schoennagel and others described the first shot as sounding like the pop of air from a bag of chips being popped open, or a door slamming shut. But when they looked in the direction of the sound, they saw smoke from a gun in the hands of another student. 

Police said the student entered the cafeteria shortly before 10:45 a.m., removed a weapon that he had concealed and discharged it. The police have the weapon, but have not confirmed the kind of gun.

Shooter Robert Wayne Gladden, Jr., age 15

(a related article)

From another related article:

You never forget the first day of high school.  After today, that's an understatement for Perry Hall freshmen Jared Gos and Kelsea Burke. 

"The counselor pushed the boy up against the wall and he pointed the gun up in the air and shot it and that's when everyone like bolted out of the cafeteria," said Burke.   

From a related article: The shooter, Robert Gladden, claims he brought the shotgun to school to intimidate bullies and that it went off by accident.  He also, apparently, had vodka with him.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

UPDATE (8/29/12):  The gun came from the home of his father. The shooter was stopped by school staff when they tackled him; no gun needed to stop this shooting. From the article:  

"But let this episode also be a reminder that guns of all types are best held by responsible adults under lock and key. A 15-year-old should no more have unfettered access to a shotgun than to a motor vehicle or stick of dynamite. The emotional turmoil that is adolescence is uncertain enough without bringing firearms or other deadly weapons into the fray. The gun in question was allegedly taken from Mr. Gladden's father's home."

From another article about this shooting:

No one answered the door Monday evening at the home of the alleged shooter's mother. A sign at the house said, "We don't call 911" and had a carved relief of a gun.

UPDATE (8/29/12):  Gladden will be charged as an adult.  The victim, Daniel, has Down's Syndrome and is well-loved by his classmates.  From the article:

Borowy, a 17-year-old special-education student at Perry Hall, is well-known for his welcoming waves, high-fives and other friendly interactions, classmates said. He remained in critical condition Wednesday morning at Maryland Shock Trauma Center. 

The Monday shooting led to a lockdown and then early dismissal at the Baltimore County school on the first day of classes. Robert Wayne Gladden Jr., 15, was charged as an adult Tuesday with attempted murder and assault. 

Friends of the family and fellow students described Borowy as passionate about soccer and Lady Gaga and quick to make friends. Classmates rallied behind Borowy on Tuesday, wearing T-shirts and posting signs outside the school that read “Pray for Daniel,” gathering at an early-morning vigil around the school’s flagpole and sharing via social media a plea to get the pop singer to visit the teen.

UPDATE (2/19/13):  The shooter, Robert Gladden, has entered a guilty plea.  From an article:

Robert Gladden Jr., 15, entered the plea to the adult charge on the day his trial was scheduled to begin in Baltimore County Circuit Court. Judge Robert Cahill Jr. accepted the plea and agreed to a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Sentencing was scheduled for Monday. 

Gladden also pleaded guilty to using a firearm in a crime of violence. Both counts involved 17-year-old Daniel Borowy, who was hit in the back with a shotgun blast Aug. 27, the first day of classes at Perry Hall High School. Borowy, who has Down syndrome, missed more than two months of school while recuperating from his injuries. 

Gladden had been charged as an adult with 29 offenses, including nine counts of attempted first-degree murder. The other alleged victims included the students sitting at a lunch table with Borowy and the school employees who wrestled the shotgun away from the teen, authorities said. 

Gladden gave mostly one-word answers to questions from the judge about his willingness to plead guilty, keeping his head slightly bowed with his long, reddish-brown hair slightly obscuring his face. His mother and a few other supporters sobbed and wiped their eyes as the teen entered his plea. 

Borowy's family was not in the courtroom. Milton Borowy, Daniel's father, said in a telephone interview Monday that he was pleased a plea deal had been reached. 

"At least the admission of guilt is finally there," he said, later adding: "It's good to know that he is going to pay for his crime." 

Milton Borowy said his son is close to 100 percent healed, but he still has nightmares once or twice a week.

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