MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — A former student at a Montgomery County high school pleaded guilty Monday to shooting a fellow classmate in a bathroom stall while surrounded by a group of teens, according to Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy.
Defendant Steven Alston, who is now 18, pled guilty to shooting now 16-year-old DeAndre Thomas in January at Colonel Zadok Magruder High School, which left the teen fighting life-threatening injuries at a hospital and sent the school into an hours-long lockdown.
A group of fellow classmates stood by, watching and live-tweeting the violence as it unfolded, police believe. The state's attorney specified Monday there were between eight and 10 boys running from the restroom after the incident; none of whom reported what they had seen to officials.
Police have since said that the teen boys had an ongoing argument, and during a January bond hearing, prosecutors alleged that Alston had planned to settle it in the bathroom.
Thomas' mother told WUSA9 Monday that her son is in the process of recovering from his 10th surgery and has returned to Magruder.
Alston, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was charged as an adult with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony/violent crime, possession of a dangerous weapon on school property and possession of a firearm by a minor.
Alston will face sentencing on Dec. 22 at 9:30 a.m.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) released an "after-action" report months after the shooting. Click here to read that full report.
According to the report, the high school's Security Team Leader (STL) found Thomas in a boy's bathroom just before 1 p.m. after seeing the students running away.
As the STL entered the bathroom while other students ran out, the STL found Thomas heavily bleeding from a gunshot wound in the lower abdomen/pelvis area. The STL was able to help save Thomas with the use of an available "Stop the Bleed Kit."
According to the Stop the Bleed website, a "Stop the Bleed Kit" was developed with manufacturers in the hemorrhage control industry and the military. A basic kit includes items to help create a tourniquet and help control bleeding. Click here to learn more.
Officials described the initial situation as "complicated," saying that Thomas would not tell the STL what had happened to him or who the other students in the bathroom were.
The report claims staff called 911 within minutes of finding Thomas.
School officials say they reviewed CCTV footage to help identify the students who were seen running from the bathroom. The video then led to officials identifying a then-11th-grade student, Alston, as the alleged shooter. Staff believes Alston was inside a classroom when the school went into lockdown. He was later taken into custody by the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD).
SWAT officers claim Alston had broken down a "ghost gun" into different components and the firearm was no longer operational.
The violent incident that happened on Jan. 21 has since spurred conversation and action, like gun buyback programs, as a result.