On August 27, 2012, alleged shooter Robert Gladden Jr. opened fire in the Perry Hall High School cafeteria, hitting seventeen year-old Daniel Borowy.
Gladden, a student at Perry Hall and fifteen years old, allegedly brought a broken down shotgun and 21 shells with him to school, according to charging documents. At 10:45 am, Gladden retrieved his gun from where he had hidden it in a bathroom and returned to the cafeteria. He fired one shot randomly into a crowd of students, hitting Borowy, before he was tackled by Jesse Wasmer, a guidance counselor at the school.
Some CHS students were shocked by the proximity of the shooting to Centennial, or were struck by the age of the shooter.
“It’s very sad, obviously,” said Sophomore Ashi Agrawal. “Nowadays there are a lot of shootings, and it’s so close to here.”
“It’s crazy to think someone our age would shoot someone,” said Emily Abdow, who is also a sophomore and the same age as Gladden.
The students of Perry Hall returned to class on Tuesday, the day after the shooting. At 7:15 before school began, a group of students came together for a vigil to pray. Students also wore shirts with “Pray for Daniel” and “Team Wasmer” written on them to show their support for their injured classmate and their gratitude for the guidance counselor who stopped Gladden.
Gladden is being charged as an adult with attempted murder and assault. He had a mental health hearing on Tuesday, August 28, and his bail hearing was not held on August 29 due to him being in a medical clinic.