Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy refused to answer when asked at a Tuesday press conference whether the 16-year-old student accused of shooting a classmate inside Thomas S. Wootton High School was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the shooting.
When a reporter asked, “Was he wearing an ankle monitor at the time?” Rockville City Police Chief Jason L. West hesitated.
Rather than answer, West turned to his left and deferred to McCarthy, saying, “Mr. McCarthy?”
McCarthy, at the 8:28 mark of the recorded press conference, stammered before responding: “I… I… I have no comment.”
The exchange was notable for two reasons.
West’s decision to defer to McCarthy rather than answer himself suggests the question touched on the suspect’s involvement with the justice system – a matter under the state’s attorney’s purview, not the police department’s.
And McCarthy’s halting refusal to offer even a simple denial has fueled further concerns, which have now spilled into a legislative fight in Annapolis, where Maryland House Republicans on Wednesday cited these reports as justification for pushing stricter school notification laws.
Kahlil White-Villatoro, 16, of Rockville, is charged as an adult with attempted second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault, and multiple firearms-related charges, including possession of a dangerous weapon on school property, in connection with the Monday afternoon shooting that left another 16-year-old boy hospitalized in stable condition.
White-Villatoro has been scheduled to appear for a bond hearing at 1 p.m. Wednesday before Judge Glynn in Montgomery County District Court. Authorities are holding him without bond at the Montgomery County Detention Center’s Central Processing Unit in Rockville.
The court scheduled a preliminary hearing for Feb. 20 at 9:30 a.m.
A telling exchange
McCarthy appeared alongside West, Montgomery County Sheriff Maxwell C. Uy and Montgomery County Police 1st District Commander Capt. Jordan Satinsky at a Tuesday afternoon press conference held at Rockville City Hall to update the public on the investigation.
During the formal portion of the briefing, officials provided extensive detail about the case.
West disclosed that White-Villatoro pointed a firearm at a 15-year-old female student earlier Monday, an act that added a second victim and expanded the charges.
McCarthy outlined the bond hearing schedule and explained that White-Villatoro was charged as an adult because, under Maryland law, attempted first- or second-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of those crimes places original jurisdiction in the adult court. He volunteered an observation about timing, noting that the Maryland General Assembly would debate legislation on Thursday to change how prosecutors charge juveniles as adults.
“It’s just ironic that this would happen at a time when literally on Thursday of this week this would be debated in the House of Delegates,” McCarthy said during the press conference.
That willingness to discuss the case in detail made what followed all the more striking.
When a reporter asked whether the suspect was wearing an ankle monitor “at the time,” West, who had been fielding questions throughout, did not say ‘I don’t know’ or ‘that’s unconfirmed. Instead, West turned to McCarthy and handed the question to the state’s attorney, a decision that itself suggests the question falls within the scope of the suspect’s prior involvement with the justice system rather than the current investigation.
McCarthy did not cite any specific legal reason for declining to answer.
Under Maryland law, juvenile court records are generally confidential, which may limit what the state’s attorney may disclose about a suspect’s prior juvenile proceedings.
However, prosecutors charged White-Villatoro as an adult in this case.
The existence of an ankle monitor – a condition of pretrial release or juvenile supervision – would speak directly to whether existing monitoring systems failed to prevent an act of violence inside a public school.
The Baltimore Sun independently reported Wednesday that McCarthy “declined to comment on the ankle monitor rumors on Tuesday.”
Annapolis fallout after Wootton shooting
Mr. McCarthy’s refusal to comment on reports that the suspect was wearing an ankle monitor did not prevent the question from becoming a political flashpoint in the Maryland General Assembly.
The General Assembly is in Annapolis for its annual 90-day regular legislative session.
House Minority Leader Del. Jason Buckel, R-Allegany, and House Minority Whip Del. Jesse Pippy, R-Frederick, held a news conference Wednesday and directly referenced the ankle monitor rumors as a reason for pushing House Bill 123, a measure sponsored by Del. Mike Griffith, R-Cecil and Harford, that would expand the list of offenses requiring law enforcement to notify schools when a student is arrested.
“The majority party seems to be hell-bent on putting politics above public safety,” Pippy said at the Wednesday press conference.
Current Maryland law requires authorities to notify schools upon arresting a student for crimes of violence, gang activity, or weapons offenses, but it excludes mandatory reporting for other serious felonies, such as threats of mass violence or stalking.
Griffith’s bill broadens the requirements to cover any adult felony equivalent, including threats of mass violence and stalking. Supporters argue that authorities must alert the school if a student wears an ankle monitor for a prior offense.
“We believe we have to notify people there so that they can be better managed,” Buckel said.
A parallel fight over charging juveniles as adults
State Republicans are pushing for change as the General Assembly considers a bill from Democrats Sen. Will Smith and Del. Sandy Bartlett that limits the offenses for which the state automatically charges juveniles as adults
The Smith-Bartlett legislation would eliminate automatic adult charging entirely for 14- and 15-year-olds
For 16- and 17-year-olds, automatic charging would remain for the most serious offenses, including first- and second-degree murder and attempt, first- and second-degree rape and attempt, voluntary manslaughter, carjacking, armed carjacking, and using a handgun during a crime of violence.
The proposed legislation would end automatic adult charging for 16- and 17-year-olds accused of first-degree assault, abduction, kidnapping, robbery, and several firearms-related charges. However, a judge could still transfer these cases to adult court.
Although the proposed legislation preserves adult charges for White-Villatoro due to the attempted murder count, state Republicans argued that the bill eliminates discretion for elected state’s attorneys.
“The Democratic majority, they want to just eliminate all that discretion,” Buckel said.
What remains unknown about the alleged Wootton shooter
The investigation remains active.
Police have not determined a motive and continue to investigate how the suspect acquired the Polymer80 9 mm handgun – a so-called ‘ghost gun’ assembled from privately manufactured parts – which investigators recovered late Monday night away from the school.
West described the ghost gun as “very concerning” because “those types of firearms are very difficult to trace if we can do that at all.”
He said during the press conference that the victim and the suspect are “acquaintances,” but that the nature of the relationship and the motive remain under investigation.
An ankle monitor would raise immediate questions about what prior offenses led to the monitoring, whether law enforcement notified the school of his legal status, and whether the monitoring system detected that the suspect brought a firearm onto school property.
The security gap that day would also face intensified scrutiny: West disclosed Monday that Wootton’s assigned community engagement officer was absent during the shooting after responding to a call at Lakewood Elementary School.
School response and security changes
Wootton High School reopened less than 24 hours after the shooting.
Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Taylor said the decision was made to ensure students and staff had access to mental health support.
“Today is not about academics or returning to ‘normal,'” Taylor and Wootton Principal Joseph Bostic said in a Tuesday morning letter to families.
“It is about ensuring that students and staff have access to mental health supports, trusted adults, and one another.”
Frustrated parents at two community meetings on Tuesday described the sessions as ’embarrassing’ after officials failed to answer specific questions about the incident.
The school clarified that the meetings were “NOT a Town Hall format” and that the investigation was “outside the school system’s role and authority.”
Enhanced security measures announced for Wootton include increased security personnel through the end of the school year, a greater law enforcement presence, new electronic door locks, and additional cameras.
The use of metal detectors is under consideration.
The Montgomery County Board of Education plans to meet to discuss the shooting and broader security measures for schools across the county.
Law enforcement response
McCarthy praised the coordinated response between Rockville City Police, Montgomery County Police, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office during Tuesday’s press conference.
“The first arriving officers from all three police agencies, without due regard for their own safety, entered that school, and they used their training based on the active shooter protocol,” McCarthy said.
“They did not wait in the parking lot. They did not wait for backup. They made entry to save and preserve lives.”
Sheriff Uy said more than 15 sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene and credited joint training exercises for the coordinated response.
Anyone with information related to the shooting is asked to contact Rockville City Police Department detectives at (240) 314-8900.
