A week after a double shooting outside The Mall in Columbia, the second teenager has succumbed to his injuries, school officials and police have confirmed. Blake McCray, aged 15, was shot on February 22 and had been in critical condition until his passing on late Thursday evening. A student at Oakland Mills High School, McCray's death was announced in a statement reported by WBALTV, which included a letter from the school's principal, Jeffrey Fink, addressed to the school community.
The suspect, Emmetson Zeah, 18, was arrested in connection with the shooting and is currently being held without bail at the Howard County Detention Center. In the aftermath of the incident, Howard County Police have implemented a mall safety plan which "includes increasing high-visibility marked patrol cars and uniformed officers patrolling in and around the mall," according to Howard County Police Chief Gregory Der in a statement detailed by WMAR2News. The department also plans to employ outreach officers, mall security cameras, drones, and school resource officers to monitor and thwart potential threats.
Fink's letter conveyed the school's collective heartbreak: "Many students and staff were hopeful for Blake's recovery, making this news especially difficult for all of us." He encouraged the school community to support one another and remain available for students needing to express their grief. Furthermore, according to a WBALTV report, additional Howard County Crisis Team counselors were available to support students throughout the subsequent day.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the shooting continues. Police have noted that Zeah was also implicated in a shooting incident on February 14, but, according to authorities, no evidence suggests that the targeted juvenile in that case was armed. This was alongside GPS tracking and surveillance footage linking Zeah to the mall shootings and with a witness identifying Zeah as the assailant. As this case evolves, officers from different units work under a commander assigned to execute the heightened safety plan. For those affected, Principal Fink has urged that any concerns regarding the coping of students should be communicated with OMHS Student Services, reachable at 410-313-6950, as per the information in the WMAR2News report.
