GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. — A 12-year-old boy has died after deputies in the upstate of South Carolina say he was shot inside a middle school by another boy Thursday afternoon.
More than 200 law enforcement officers, including deputies with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office in the upstate of South Carolina, responded to the shooting at Tanglewood Middle School, on Greenville's western side. NBC affiliate WYFF-TV said deputies confirmed the school's resource officer requested emergency backup around 12:30 p.m. after the student was wounded.
Local community activist Bruce Wilson had identified the boy who died as Jamari Cortez Bonaparte Jackson to WCNC Charlotte. According to Wilson, Jackson passed away at an area hospital, and he released a statement on behalf of the family:
"We are all devastated by today’s tragedy. We love Jamari dearly and we would ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time.”
Fighting Injustice Together is representing the family during the time.
The television station reports after the shooting happened, students were taken to a nearby church on school buses. The television station later confirmed with authorities a male found near the school was taken into custody. Deputies eventually confirmed both the suspect and victim were teenage students. The suspect reportedly left the school after the shooting and was found nearby.
Later in the day, Greenville County Sheriff Will Lewis confirmed via a statement the suspect was also a 12-year-old boy. Per Lewis, the suspect was found hiding under the deck of a nearby home. He was taken into custody, and a handgun was recovered. The boy is now 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. The boy will be transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia.
A parent reportedly indicated to WYFF the shooting happened in the school's 7th-grade hallway. A student who spoke to the station said the shooting happened during a class change, and that the victim shot the suspect in the side. The gunfire prompted students to either get into classrooms or run outside.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster shared a tweet, saying he was briefed on the shooting by the Greenville County sheriff and the head of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. He praised first responders' work and requested prayers for those affected by the shooting.