A 12-year-old boy died in a middle school in South Carolina after a shooting on Thursday and police said they caught a 12-year-old suspect hiding under a nearby deck.
The Tanglewood Middle School went under lockdown after the shooting.
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said in a lengthy statement on its Facebook page stating that it was alerted to the shooting via a request for backup from a school resource officer at about 12:23 p.m.
They arrived to discover a 12-year-old student had been shot once. That student was taken to a hospital where they were pronounced dead.
Witnesses said the shooting occurred in the hallway of the school.
The statement said the police were told that the suspect had run away from the school and later they were alerted to the presence of a student hiding under the deck of a nearby house. They took the male suspect, who was also 12 years old, into custody. They recovered a weapon as he was taken into custody.
Police said the students knew each other and that no other students were in danger after the incident.
“My heart breaks for this young boy’s family and my prayers are with them tonight. Additionally, I will be praying for the other young boy who pulled the trigger and his family,” said Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis.
The family of Jamari Cortez Bonaparte Jackson indicated that he was the victim in the shooting.
“We are all devastated by today’s tragedy,” read a statement released by the family. “We love Jamari dearly and we would ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time.”
The police statement said the suspect would be charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, possession of a firearm on school property, and unlawful possession of a weapon by a person under the age of 18.
“I can not fathom what would cause someone to do this to another human being and especially at that age, but I know it’s a situation where we all need to turn to God,” added the sheriff.
Here’s a local news report about the shooting:
“It’s just really scary,” Mother of Tanglewood Middle student reacts to shooting www.youtube.com