12-Year-Old Killed In Middle School Shooting
Tragedy has fallen on a community reeling from a school shooting that claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy.
Tragedy has fallen on the community of Greenville, South Carolina. Yesterday, a school shooting claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy inside the halls of the Tanglewood Middle School. School shootings in America have always been an issue, but it seems the number of incidents reported across the nation has risen drastically in the past few years. According to information reported on K-12 shootings to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, there have been 81 counts of school shootings so far in 2022. It is unknown right now if yesterday’s horrific middle school shooting was counted in that figure yet.
The incident began at Tanglewood Middle School yesterday around lunchtime. At 12:30 pm local time, the school’s resource officer sent in a request for emergency backup. A student was reportedly shot at least once, said the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office in a statement. The school shooting occurred inside the school in a wing located at the front of the building. No other injuries were reported.
The 12-year-old student who was shot was taken to the Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital emergency room. The school shooting victim died shortly after of sustained injuries. Greenville News reports that the sound of shouts and cries could be heard outside the waiting room, where the child’s grandfather, Marshall Jackson told reporters, “That was my man.”
The grieving community showed outpouring support to family members and students reeling from the middle school shooting. Greenville Sherrif Hobart Lewis said, “My heart breaks for this young boy’s family and my prayers are with them tonight.” He also mentioned the shooter, saying, “Additionally, I will be praying for the other young boy who pulled the trigger and his family. 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.” Dr. Burke Royster, the superintendent of the Greenville school district said, “We are deeply saddened to hear that the student victim in the shooting at Tanglewood Middle School passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his fellow students, the staff members at the school, and everyone who knew this child. This is an absolute tragedy, and we will continue to do whatever we can to support his family and the Tanglewood community as they mourn the young life that was lost today.”
The identity of the shooter is unknown yet. But police have released what little info to the public they can as the investigation is ongoing. The alleged school shooting assailant was also a 12-year old student at the middle school. For now, all that is known is that the students were “familiar” with each other. The suspect fled the school following the shooting. They were apprehended about an hour later hiding under a house deck located in the 3000 block of Easley Bridge Road. When deputies arrived, the suspect was taken into custody and a handgun was recovered.
As motives remain unknown, the 12-year-old suspect has been charged with murder in the school shooting. On top of that, they are charged with 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. They will be transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia.
Gun violence is on the rise all across America, but the school system seems to suffer the most from such devastating events. The problem has grown so drastically that it isn’t just a concern being addressed by parents and school leaders, but government officials as well. School shootings aren’t the only place where gun violence among children occurs. According to reports from Everytown, more than 3 million children are exposed to shootings in the US every year.
