A 15-year-old sophomore, at a suburban Baltimore high school, who made references to a murder-suicide has been charged as an adult with attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault. The father mentioned his son was bullied leading up to the shooting. Click below to find out more.
Robert Wayne Gladden Jr. was being held without bail on charges of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault, Baltimore County police said. No court hearing has been scheduled and the state’s attorney’s office did not know if he had a lawyer. Police were planning a news conference later Tuesday.
Gladden’s father told The Associated Press that his son had been bullied, although he did not provide details. The teen’s last status update on his Facebook page, posted the morning of the shooting, read: “First day of school, last day of my life. … f— the world.”
Gladden also referred to mass murderer Charles Manson and gave himself the nickname “SuicidalSmile.” The page, identified by classmates as belonging to the suspected shooter, was just launched in July, and the three photos of Gladden all show his face hidden behind long, dark hair. He describes himself as a “metalhead” and a fan of musicians Marilyn Manson and Slipknot.
According to charging documents, Gladden walked into the cafeteria at Perry Hall High School Monday morning and fired a shot toward a lunch table. A 17-year-old classmate, Daniel Borowy, was struck in the back.
Teachers and school staff then rushed toward the teen, and in the ensuing struggle, he fired another shot that hit the ceiling, investigators said in the documents. The staffers were able to get the gun away from him and he was arrested by a school resource officer.
