The boy was shot in the chest and abdomen outside Benjamin Tasker Middle School shortly after 8 a.m., Prince George's County emergency officials said.
His mother took him to Bowie Health Center, a small hospital. A Maryland State Police helicopter was to fly the child to a hospital specializing in traumatic injuries in children, authorities said.
``The child is suffering from extensive blood loss and is in critical condition,'' said Mark Brady of the county fire department.
On Wednesday and Thursday, five people were shot to death by a sniper in a 16-hour span in Montgomery County. A sixth victim was killed Thursday in Washington, D.C. On Friday, a woman was shot and wounded in Virginia.
``We are certainly very concerned about this situation in Prince George's County,'' Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose said. But he stressed that it was too early to know whether the shooting was related.
Montgomery County investigators were being sent to Bowie, Moose said.
In Bowie, police cars surrounded the building and officers put up crime scene tape and searched the campus.
Police and FBI agents were poring over maps and putting together a psychological profile to hunt down the killer. They also stepped up patrols Monday as people began returning to school and work.
``Clearly, we are at a level of anxiety,'' said Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose. ``The rush hour, the number of people who come out on a Monday morning certainly tells us it's an enhanced target-rich environment.''
Irene Kelly, 60, who was visiting her daughter in Rockville from Pennsylvania, spent part of Monday morning running errands. She said she had ``big concerns, very big concerns.''
``I'm more aware of what's happening,'' she said. ``I try to get in and out and get home. You have to be aware of your surroundings.''
Maybe they should drop the PC nonsense and start profiling the obvious suspects, muslim sleeper-cell jihadists. I think it's likely that one of those cells got the "go" message from a higher link in the chain last week. But then I'm not one of the PC fanatics so I can still say what I think. For now at least, who knows for how long.
When our cities are burning with our dead lying in the streets, as is the case in Israel, I suppose the government will still insist on following politically correct LE guidelines. We wouldn't want to offend any of the followers of that kinder and gentler religion which believes murdering infidel women and children is pleasing to it's demonic deity. This nonsense has gone way past absurd all the way to idiotic.