A 12-year-old student was fatally shot by a classmate at a South Carolina middle school, officials said Thursday.
The suspected shooter, 12, was also arrested and charged with murder and other firearms charges in the shooting at Tanglewood Middle School in Greenville, according to the Greenville County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office said in a statement that no one else was injured in the shooting.
Around 12:30 in the afternoon. On Thursday, a school resource officer called for emergency backup after hearing gunshots at the school, officials said. Later, officers learned that a student had shot another student and the students knew each other, the sheriff's office said.
After being shot, the suspect fled the school, and the deputy found him hiding under a deck in a nearby house, according to police. They also recovered a weapon during the arrest, the statement said.
"My heart breaks for the family of this young boy and my prayers are with them tonight," Sheriff Hobart Lewis said in the statement, referring to the victim.
"Also, I would also pray for the other young boy pulling the trigger and his family. I can't understand why someone would do this to another human being and especially at that age, but I know it There is 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 being investigated. The office said the Greenville County coroner would provide more information about the victim on Friday.
The sheriff's office said that in addition to the murder charge, the suspect faces other charges, including possession of a weapon during a violent crime, placing a firearm on school property and illegal possession of a weapon by a person under the age of 18. .
The suspect will be sent to a juvenile justice center in Columbia, South Carolina.
The sheriff urged parents to talk to their children and engage with them to ensure their safety and that of others.
"Check their belongings and make sure they don't have anything that could be a danger to them or anyone else. It really takes a village and we need everyone's investment," Lewis said.
Tanglewood Middle School serves approximately 780 students in classes 6 to 8, according to its website.