The perpetrator, whose identity has not yet been released, was found hiding under a deck in a house near Tanglwood High School in Greenville about an hour after the shooting and was still armed, Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said. Deputies said they had arrested the boy and charged him with murder, possession of a firearm during a violent crime, possession of a firearm on school property and illegal possession of a firearm by a person under 18 years of age. He will be arrested at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia, lawmakers said. “She was hiding. “He is a young man, he probably did not understand the consequences of what had just happened,” the sheriff said in a press conference. “I do not think he knew what to do, honestly, except to leave school.” While the motive for the shooting and how the boy got a gun is still under investigation, MPs said the victim and the suspect knew each other. They also said that the incident was isolated and no other students were injured. [ALSO READ: 18-year-old arrested for shooting teen after fight at Charlotte elementary school] The boy who was later killed was identified as Jamari Cortez Bonaparte Jackson. The Jackson family issued a statement urging people to respect their privacy as they mourn. “We are all devastated by today’s tragedy. “We love Jamari very much,” the family said in a statement released by the Fighting Injustice Together community justice group. A police officer at the school called for the shooting and called for emergency assistance around 12:30 p.m., and more than 200 deputies and other law enforcement officers rushed to the school, Lewis said. Everyone on campus, including the teachers, was taken to a nearby church. [18-year-old arrested for shooting teen after fight at Charlotte elementary school] Greenville County Superintendent of Schools Burke Rooster said he had no idea how the gun ended up at the school and a student was killed. “I’m not sure that after a thorough and thorough law enforcement investigation one will really know what was going through the mind of that young man who did this unexpected act,” Royster said. Classes at Tanglewood Middle School will be optional for students and staff on Friday, WLOS reports. They will continue to operate normally on Monday. The Associated Press contributed to this story. (Watch the video below: Metal Detectors to Be Installed in All Catawba County High School and Gymnastics School) © 2022 Cox Media Group
