A teenage gunman opened fire at a South Carolina elementary school, wounding two students and a teacher on Wednesday, according to published reports.
The shooting at Townville Elementary School, in far northwest South Carolina officials, happened at about 1:45 p.m., police said.
A teacher called 911 from inside a classroom, bringing cops and firefighters to campus where they arrested the young shooter, officials said.
Both wounded kids are boys, one hit in the leg and another in the shoulder with rounds fired from a handgun, police said. The female teacher was shot in the shoulder. Their injuries did not appear life threatening.
The two injured tykes were taken to the hospital by helicopter while the female teacher was transported by ambulance, the paper said.
Also the body of a man was found a 1 ½ miles from the school and his death and the school shooting are “believed to be related,” Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore said.
Townville Elementary School has an enrollment of 286 kids, kindergarten through sixth grade.
The shooter was home schooled.
“We are heartbroken about this senseless act of violence,” said District 4 Superintendent Joanne Avery said. “It’s a very difficult time.”
A school parent, Jamie Meredith, said some of the kids took shelter in a bathroom during the shooting.
“I don’t know how they knew to go in the bathroom, but I know her teacher was shaken up. I know all the kids were scared,” she told WYFF.
“There was a bunch of kids crying. She didn’t talk for about 5 minutes when I got her.”
All the kids were bused to a nearby church where relieved parents picked them up.
Parent Michelle Bush, picking up a second and a third-grader at Oak Dale Baptist Church, said she’ll struggle to talk to her children about this scary incident.
“I don’t really know how you can explain why crazy people do crazy things,” she told the Greenville News. “I’m just glad the teachers did the right thing to keep the kids safe.”
Class has been cancelled at Townville Elementary School for the rest of the week.
With Post Wire Services