TOWSON, Md. (AP) — A high school sophomore pleaded guilty to attempted murder Tuesday in the shooting of an intellectually disabled classmate last year in suburban Baltimore.

Robert Gladden Jr., 15, entered the plea to the adult charge on the day his trial was scheduled to begin in Baltimore County Circuit Court. Judge Robert Cahill Jr. accepted the plea and agreed to a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Sentencing was scheduled for Monday.

Gladden also pleaded guilty to using a firearm in a crime of violence. Both counts involved 17-year-old Daniel Borowy, who was hit in the back with a shotgun blast last August on the first day of classes at Perry Hall High School. Borowy, who has Down syndrome, missed more than 2 months of school while recuperating from his injuries.