What happened to Jamari Jackson? 12-year old Tanglewood Middle School student dies in shooting

Jamari Jackson, a 12-year-old student at Tanglewood Middle School, was reportedly shot dead by a fellow student inside the campus. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead by medical examiners.

The news of his tragic demise was announced by community activist Bruce Wilson on behalf of Jamari Jackson’s family:

“We are all devastated by today’s tragedy. We love Jamari dearly and we would ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time.”

Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis later announced that the suspect was taken into custody but no motive behind the murder was found. Other students at the school were taken to Brookwood Church to be reunited with their parents.

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A look into Jamari Jackson’s shooting incident

Jamari Jackson's shooter fled the scene of murder but was later taken into custody (Image via Cornelius Jones/Facebook)

Tanglewood Middle School student Jamari Jackson was recently shot in the seventh-grade hallway of the school by another unidentified student after they crossed each other’s path. The 12-year-old was taken to the Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital but succumbed to the gunshot wound.

A seventh-grade student named Michael, who was reportedly friends with the gunman, witnessed the shooting and detailed the incident to WSPA:

“We were just walking down the hallway. He was walking really fast and he looked really nervous, and there was just a whole crowd of kids. All of sudden, he just reaches into his backpack and just pulls out gun [and] fired one shot.”

Michael said he was extremely scared by the incident and started running away from the venue. He also mentioned that the shooter fled the scene shortly after shooting Jamari Jackson:

“Everyone standing around us were just screaming and running. And all of sudden, I look behind me and kids are just running inside classrooms and locking the doors and everything. And he didn't know what to do, he just ran.”

The shooting reportedly began in the afternoon, prompting the school resource officer to request “emergency backup.” Nearly 200 deputies and law enforcement officers rushed to the school following the incident.

Footage obtained by WYFF-TV showed dozens of officers outside the school campus with several buses lined up to transfer the students to Brookwood Church. A parent named Angela told the network that she was in the parking lot when she noticed police officers approaching the school:

“I was like: "What’s wrong? What’s wrong?" They wouldn’t tell me, he said: "Get back in your car," When I was getting in my car, all the police came. Every police in Greenville County was there and ambulance. They were running in with guns, not handguns, rifles.”

Meanwhile, her daughter Prentasia also witnessed the shooting and recalled the moment Jackson was shot while speaking to the channel:

“We heard a gunshot and this boy had a gun and he shot at one boy in his side. We all pretty much went into a classroom and some people went outside. We were just in the classroom until it was over.”

The unidentified shooter, who is also 12 years old, reportedly ran away after the incident and was later found hiding under a desk inside a house in the 3000 block of Easley Bridge Road. He was immediately taken into custody and detained at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia.

The suspect has been charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, possession of a firearm on school property and unlawful possession of a weapon by a person under the age of 18.

Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said that the suspect did not understand the consequences of his actions:

“He was hiding. He's a young man, probably didn't understand the consequences of what had just happened. I don't think he knew what to do honestly, except for to leave the school.”

He also mentioned that the motive behind the shooting and possession of a firearm was still under investigation, but confirmed that the “victim and suspect were familiar with each other.”

Greenville County Schools Superintendent Burke Royster also echoed similar sentiments in the official statement:

“I'm not sure after a full and thorough law enforcement investigation anyone will really know what was going through the mind of that young person who took this rash act.”

Sheriff Lewis also shared that his heart is broken for Jamari Jackson’s family and that he will also pray for the family of the suspect.

Following the Jamari Jackson shooting incident, the school was immediately placed into lockdown. It also decided to observe an “optional day” on Friday, allowing parents and students to interact with each other and with counselors.