Tanglewood Middle School in Greenville, South Carolina.Photo: Mike Ellis/USA TODAY NETWORK
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office shared details about the “tragic event” on their official Facebook page Thursday evening, writing that the male shooter, 12, “is in custody” and “being charged with Murder.”
“A school resource officer who was working at the school requested emergency backup at 12:23 p.m. after hearing shots fired,” policesaid in the post. “We soon learned that the gunfire was from a 12-year-old student who shot another 12-year-old student inside the 700 wing of the school.”
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“The suspect was taken into custody and a handgun was recovered,” police said.
“While the motive for the shooting and how the suspect was able to get possession of a firearm is still under investigation, we can confirm that the victim and suspect were familiar with each other and we are confident the incident was isolated. No other students were injured in the incident,” they added.
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Sheriff Hobart Lewissaid in a statement, “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,” adding, “I can not be more proud of all the law enforcement and first responders and the way they worked hand in hand with the professionals at the Greenville County School District. They put these plans in place for a reason and I think today you can see the importance of these protocols.”
“We will continue our efforts through training and enforcement of laws to do what we can to ensure our schools are safe but I also ask parents to have conversations with your kids,” he continued. “Check their belongings and ensure they don’t have anything that could be a danger to themselves or anyone else. It truly takes a village and we need everyone’s investment.”
source: people.com
