Three people were injured in a shooting at Townville Elementary School in Townville, SC, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to Townville Elementary after receiving a call of an active shooter around 2pm ET. According to Deputy Chief Kevin Smith of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, the shooter, armed with a handgun, shot all of his victims on the playground and never entered the school building.
Officials say that two male students and one female teacher were injured during the attack. So far, the teacher and one student have been released from the hospital. The other student remains hospitalized; his condition is unknown but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
The suspect, whom officials did not name, was apprehended by a volunteer firefighter and taken into custody at the scene. He is believed to be 14-years-old.
Officials also say that they responded to a 911 call of a man shot dead a few miles away from the school. That victim, identified as 47-year-old Jeffrey DeWitt Osborne, is the shooter’s father. Authorities did not say if Osborne was shot by his son, and they have not determined if there is any connection between the shooter and the teacher and students injured. Officials did say that they believe the shooter acted alone during the incident and that there are no racial or terrorist undertones.
Townville Elementary, located in Anderson County, has about 300 students in pre-kindergarten through 6th grade. Classes have been cancelled for the remainder of the week, according to Anderson County District 4 Superintendent Dr. Joanne Avery.
We will continue to update this story as it develops