A teenager has shot and killed his father in rural South Carolina before going to a small elementary school, where he shot a teacher and two children, all three of whom are now hospitalized. The suspect is in custody.

Police arrested the young man with a handgun at the school just before 2pm on Wednesday, after he had already shot one child in the leg, another in the foot and a teacher in the shoulder.

One boy and the teacher, a woman, were taken to a local hospital, AnMed Health, but later released, an official said. The second child was airlifted to a trauma center in Greenville. The child’s condition was not revealed.

Authorities said the shooting spree began at the teenager’s house about two miles from the school, where he shot his 47-year-old father, Jeffrey Osborne. Authorities have not released the suspect’s name or age beyond saying that he is a teenager.



Crying and upset, the boy called his grandmother’s cellphone at 1.44pm, Anderson county coroner, Greg Shore, said. The grandparents could not understand what was going on so they went to the home just 100 yards away. When they got there, they found Osborne had been shot and their grandson was gone.

About one minute later, authorities received a 911 call from Townville elementary school.

Sheriff John Skipper said the shooter drove a vehicle into the school parking lot and immediately started firing a handgun as he got out and moved toward the school. He did not know who the vehicle was registered to, and he declined to say how many shots were fired.

However, the shooter was apprehended by an off-duty firefighter Jamie Brock, before he could enter the school building.

Police surrounded the building and could be seen on the roof. By 3pm, police had searched the building and arrested the suspect.

Why the teenage gunman went to an elementary school is not yet known, authorities said. It was unclear whether the shooter knew any of the three victims at Townville elementary.

“There’s no racial undertones, there’s no terrorism there,” said Captain Garland Major, a deputy of the Anderson County sheriff’s department. “The community is not in danger at this point.”

Children were evacuated via bus to a nearby Baptist church. Taylor Jones, deputy director of county emergency services, said that deputies were “still trying to put together the facts”.

About 300 students attend the school, roughly four hours’ drive west of Charleston on the Georgia-South Carolina state line. Just 18 teachers work at the school, according to federal data.

“We are heartbroken about this senseless act of violence,” said school superintendent Joanne Avery. “But we are so thankful for the quick response of law enforcement.” The school district and local law enforcement had participated in active shooter training, Avery said. She canceled classes at the school for the rest of the week.

One parent interviewed by the local news station WYFF said her daughter told her students had hidden in the bathroom while the incident was unfolding.

“She didn’t talk for about five minutes when I got her,” Jaime Meredith told WYFF in an emotional interview immediately after the incident.