Joppatowne, Maryland is not an area of the state one would associate with rampant crime. It has a population of approximately 12,000 residents and is considered a "bedroom" community for Baltimore. The average income is $123,116.00 and 71% of the population is white, approximately 19% is Black, and 4% Hispanic. The crime rate is reported to be 20 reportable incidents per 1,000 residents, making the area safer than 61% of U.S. cities.1
This is not the kind of place where kids are murdered anywhere, much less in school.
Sadly, for the parents of 15-year-old Warren Curtis Grant, Joppatown High School was a very dangerous place for their son on Friday, September 6, 2024. He was gunned down by another school student a 16-year-old, in a school bathroom. Although the staff rendered aid to the young man and he was transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital, he died from his injuries.
The student who shot him was in his first day at the school even though the school year started Tuesday. No one knows why he didn't return to school on the first day.
The suspect, who is not named because of his age, fled the school after the shooting and was apprehended by authorities after he ran to a nearby apartment complex and was reported to be banging on doors by residents who called 911. He is currently in custody.
Sadly, as is often the case, the perpetrator was known to county officials. According to the Sheriff's Department, the student/suspect had been tied to "more than 10 incidents since 2022"—as a victim, suspect, or witness. He was on the radar as a potential danger to students and faculty, so why was he allowed in the school at all? Again, citizens need to look to state and federal laws that prevent the flow of information from law enforcement to school systems and that keep potentially violent students in classrooms.
As for the shooting, no one knows much about what happened. According to law enforcement that is because the 2022 Senate Bill 53, Maryland's Child Interrogation Protection Act, bars authorities from interviewing any suspect under the age of 18 until they have the consent of their lawyer and/or public defender.
Normally, a suspect, even a juvenile, would be taken into custody and then given an explanation of their Miranda rights which tell the suspect that they can remain silent and that anything they say can and will be used against them in court. They are also advised that they may ask for legal counsel or have one provided for them. If the suspect chooses to talk about the alleged crime after that, police can start to piece together the facts of the crime. This helps in investigation and can sometimes help the suspect tell their side of the story.
After this bill was passed, law enforcement was prohibited from talking to anyone under 18 or taking a statement from that juvenile even if the juvenile or his parents waive his/her Miranda rights, even if he is being charged as an adult.
Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler was extremely critical of the law in his press conference regarding the murder:
Gahler stated, "The legislature has handcuffed police. There are families of every other student in that school, and the parents of the shooter, who have a right to know why we all stand here today and why there's a person who was shot in one of our schools, and we are not allowed to ask the person that committed that act because of this crazy legislature we have in this state."
He went on to say that authorities don't even know how the suspect got the weapon in school. "The easiest way to find that out is to ask the suspect but we don't get to go that way." Gahler continued, " We are charging him as an adult and are not allowed to talk to him and that is lunacy." Gahler promised that investigators will work the case diligently despite the hindrances.
Juveniles in Maryland who may be inclined to commit violent crimes know the law and may feel emboldened to criminal acts knowing that police won't be able to talk to them for a significant amount of time, enough time to concoct a false narrative or hide evidence.
For the school, any information from the suspect might help them prevent further horrific violence. Now they don't have that information. For parents of students in the school, they are left wondering why this happened and if more violence is in the future.
Warren Curtis Grant's parents will just be left wondering why their child was murdered.
The Maryland Legislature has been severely criticized for their recent soft stance on juvenile crime, in particular State Senator Jill Carter who has spearheaded many of the proposals that protect young criminals. That's because juvenile crime statistics in Maryland have exploded.
According to a study released in September by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, total juvenile crime is up 15 % compared to fiscal year 2022, but up by 74 % compared to 2021. Violent crime is up 18 %, or 30 % compared to 2021. Carjackings have increased by 85 % and handgun violations have more than quadrupled.2
Meanwhile, our children sit unprotected in schools with violent juvenile criminals. It was a child rapist in Baltimore City last year. Harford County had an MS-13 gang member enrolled in classes who committed a murder and was just convicted three weeks ago:
Many other school systems report huge increases in school violence which range from brawls in the hallways, rapes in bathrooms, and, of course, stabbings and shootings. The following story is from 2021:
All of these events because of laws passed by our federal and state governments which protect criminals instead of law abiding, innocent citizens. All of them because we do little to help the students with true mental problems. We choose not to protect our most vulnerable children who are like sitting ducks in schools with less protective measures than a Taylor Swift concert.
And then there are meaningless promises from politicians.
When many suggested a special session to address the issue of juvenile gun violence last year, Governor Wes Moore declined stating that he had "plans" to fix the problem. Here we are almost a year later, waiting for those "plans" to work.
I wonder if that will make Warren Curtis Grant's parents feel better. I don't think so. Their child was just another victim of adults averting their eyes from the true problem of juvenile violence and possible, practical solutions.
Statements opposing SB 53:
Statements supporting SB 53:
1.The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Joppatowne, MD: Crime Maps and Statistics | CrimeGrade.org
Jan Greenhawk, Author
September 7, 2024
Jan Greenhawk is a former teacher and school administrator for over thirty years. She has two grown children and lives with her husband in Maryland. She also spent over twenty-five years coaching/judging gymnastics and coaching women’s softball.
This article was originally featured on the Easton Gazette.
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