A 12-year-old student was shot and killed by a classmate at a middle school in South Carolina on Thursday, officials said.
The victim has been identified as Jamari Cortez Bonaparte Jackson. His family said on Thursday they were “devastated” by the tragedy, according to a statement from a family spokesman.
The suspected shooter, also 12, was arrested and charged with murder and other gun charges in the shooting at Tanglewood Middle School in Greenville, according to the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office.
No other injuries related to the shooting were reported, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Around 12:30 p.m. Thursday, a school resource officer called for emergency backup after hearing gunshots at the school, officials said. Authorities later learned that a student had shot another student and that the students knew each other, the sheriff’s office said.
After the shooting, the suspect fled the school, and deputies found him hiding under deck at a nearby home, according to police. They also recovered a weapon during the arrest, the statement said.
“My heart is broken for this boy’s family and my prayers will be with them tonight,” Sheriff Hobart Lewis said in the statement, referring to the victim.
“Also, I will be praying for the other boy who pulled the trigger and his family. I can’t fathom what would cause someone to do this to a different human being and especially at this level. that age, but I know it’s a situation where we all need to turn to God.”
The sheriff’s office said the motive for the shooting and how the suspect obtained the gun was still under investigation. The Greenville County Coroner will release more information about the victim on Friday, the office added.
In addition to the murder charge, the suspect faces other charges including possession of a weapon in a violent crime, possession of a firearm on school property and unlawful possession of a firearm by a person under the age of 18. age, the sheriff’s office said.
The suspect will be taken to a juvenile justice center in Columbia, South Carolina.
The sheriff urges parents to talk to their children and engage with them to ensure their own and others’ safety.
“Check their belongings and make sure they don’t have anything that could endanger themselves or anyone else. It really takes up a village and we need everyone’s investment. “, said Lewis.
Tanglewood Middle School serves approximately 780 students in Grades 6 through 8, according to the school’s website.
