Teen Convicted in Maryland High School Shooting That Left One Dead

The halls of Joppatowne High School will never feel the same after what happened on September 6, 2024. That was the day 15-year-old Warren Grant was shot and killed inside a school bathroom. The gunman, 16-year-old Jaylen Prince, fled the scene but was arrested soon after in a nearby apartment complex. He had already managed to dispose of the murder weapon.

According to investigators, the two teens knew each other before the shooting. The confrontation reportedly started over a girl. Witnesses said Prince had been flirting with Grant’s girlfriend. When told to back off, Prince responded with, “Nobody wants her.”, escalating what should have been a petty school argument into a fatal encounter. Inside the bathroom, students testified that Grant confronted Prince. Video played at trial captured Prince saying, “I am going to kill you” multiple times before a single gunshot rang out. That shot ended Grant’s life.

Prince’s trial began in May 2025 and concluded within a few weeks. The most stunning revelation was how the gun ended up in Prince’s hands in the first place. Digital forensics revealed text messages between Prince and a contact nicknamed “Baby Face,” in which they arranged the sale of a P80 Hornady 9mm handgun on August 12, 2024. (There you go, gun nerds.) Prince then sent $700 via Cash App to complete the purchase. What he received was a ghost gun, a privately made, untraceable firearm.

Ghost guns are assembled from parts and typically lack serial numbers, making them nearly impossible to trace. They’re often ordered online or bought secondhand through gray markets with little oversight. The fact that a 16-year-old with a smartphone and a few hundred dollars can obtain one in under a week should be alarming to anyone paying attention.

Prince testified in his own defense, claiming the shooting was accidental. He said he only brought the gun for protection and pulled it out to scare off Grant and his friends because he thought he was going to get jumped. He told the court his right hand had been injured months prior and that he didn’t intend to fire the gun. However, prosecutors pointed to photos of Prince posing while holding the gun with his left hand, undermining the claim that his injury limited his ability to use the weapon.

Then came the Ring doorbell video. A detective testified that shortly after the shooting, Prince was caught on a neighbor’s doorbell camera telling someone to “toss that gun in the water.” Prince denied saying it, but the footage spoke for itself. Despite an extensive search, law enforcement never recovered the weapon.

After the state rested its case, Prince’s defense team requested an acquittal, arguing the shooting wasn’t premeditated. The judge denied the motion. Ultimately, the jury sided with the prosecution.

On May 29th, 2025, Jaylen Prince was found guilty of first-degree murder. His conviction closes the legal chapter of this tragedy, but the larger issues remain. Ghost guns. School security. Adolescent conflict turned deadly. The kind of story that twenty years ago would have dominated headlines is now just another reminder of how common school shootings have become.

(Sources)

UPDATE 10/30/2025: Prince was sentenced to 80 years behind bars and must serve at least half that before being considered eligible for parole.