A 16-year-old in his first day at a Harford County high school shot and killed another student before fleeing and being captured, authorities said Friday.

Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said at a press conference that 15-year-old Warren Curtis Grant of the Edgewood community was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where he died several hours later.

“I wish we were sitting here talking about a better outcome for the young man,” Gahler said.

He said the 16-year-old pulled a gun on Grant during a fight in the restroom at Joppatowne High School before leaving school grounds. Other students brought Grant into the hallway, where the principal and another staff member found him.

The teen accused in the shooting, who police declined to identify because he is a juvenile, was apprehended after residents called 911 and a door-to-door search ensued in a nearby neighborhood, Gahler said, adding that police have not spoken to the teen.

A gun has not been recovered, but there was “overwhelming evidence” in the investigation, he said.

Authorities said they responded to calls about a possible active shooter at the school around 12:36 p.m. Deputies were at the school within two minutes, and more than 100 officers were on campus within 15 minutes, including Maryland State Police troopers and police from Baltimore County.

Sean W. Bulson, superintendent of Harford County Public Schools, said no decisions have been made about how to handle classes on Monday, other than that students will be offered resources to help deal with the incident.

“Our hearts are breaking for the victim and this victim’s family,” he said. “The circumstances are absolutely terrible, and this should not be happening in schools.”

Melissa Williams, the high school’s principal, expressed condolences to Grant’s family and friends.

“We are one town. And we are J-Town,” Williams said.

Eunice Davage-Jones, a personnel worker at the school, told The Baltimore Banner that school officials at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, a reunification center, were ensuring students who left school for the day were with a guardian.

Gahler told reporters that school shootings — such as the one at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, that left four people dead on Wednesday — are far too common.

Gahler said that “parents have to be parents … and know what their children are up to” before something like a school shooting happens.

“We all have the question; why is a 16-year-old … what is the deal with this? How did he get his hands on this gun?” Gahler said.

Gahler said the 16-year-old is not “unknown” to the police and they’ve had “calls for service that involved him in the past,” but did not provide details.

Officials do not know how the weapon was brought into the school. Gahler said he expects the teen to be charged quickly, possibly as soon as Saturday.

Bulson said schools prepare for active shooters and on-campus shootings, but “it’s never the same when it actually happens.”

Gov. Wes Moore, in a statement Friday evening, expressed condolences to Grant’s family and friends. Moore also offered assistance to county officials and investigators.

“Every Marylander deserves to feel safe at school,” Moore said.

In a statement Friday evening, Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly described the county as “shocked and saddened” by the shooting.

“Our hearts are broken for Warren’s family and friends as we pray for healing and peace in our community,” Cassilly said.

Correction: Several photo captions have been updated to reflect that the photos were taken at a reunification center.