Richmond County authorities are hunting a T.W. Josey High School student accused of shooting a classmate in the finger on the 15th Street campus Wednesday.
At 3:20 p.m. Wednesday, Sheriff Richard Roundtree said the suspect had not been caught and was being sought. His identity is known to authorities, but his name was not released because he is a juvenile. Sheriff Roundtree said his home and other family locations have been searched without success, and he encouraged him, or those harboring him, to surrender.
Meanwhile, classes at Josey, Murphey Middle and Marion E. Barnes Career Center have been cancelled until Monday “out of an abundance of caution and to provide students and staff an opportunity to begin to recover” from the shooting, school officials said. Teachers are asked to report on Friday while students will remain at home. Normal operations will resume on Monday for both students and staff at both schools.
Sheriff Roundtree said there was one shooting victim, who suffered an injury to his finger. The shooting stemmed from an earlier altercation that was caught on video and escalated into gunfire inside the school. No suspect description was released, but a public alert described a black male juvenile wearing a yellow jacket and black pants.
Superintendent Kenneth Bradshaw said Wednesday that counselors will be available for students and staff once they return. The school board is also discussing the use of metal detectors, which are currently not used.
On Wednesday morning, streets were blocked off, and students were seen climbing fences to leave and being escorted out in lines with some holding their hands up. Some students from inside were reporting a shooting in the cafeteria, with classmates hiding in bathrooms. Coroner Mark Bowen said he had NOT been called to the school.
STATEMENT FROM RCSO: “On August 16, 2023 at approximately 11:14 am, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Deputies and Investigators as well as Richmond County Board of Education Public Safety Officers responded to a shooting on the campus of T.W. Josey High School. Officials learned that a juvenile male victim was shot at least one time in the hand area and he was transported to the hospital for the treatment of his injuries. A juvenile suspect has been identified and investigators are actively searching for his whereabouts. If anyone has any information in regards to this incident, please contact the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and ask for any On Duty Violent Crimes Investigator at 706-821-1020 or 706-821-1080.”
Parent Destiny Ellerson said she rushed to the school after getting a phone call from her daughter, Samaria Stallings, a 10th grader who was locked in her classroom.
“My main focus was, is my child OK? Is everyone else OK?” Ellerson said. “I feel like now my child is not safe at school.”
Stallings said she heard two gunshots and students went into a closet with a safety lock on the door. A teacher told them to be quiet and quietly contact their parents. She waited about two hours before they were released to be reunited with her mother. As she was escorted out, she was told to come out with hands up.
“It was very traumatizing,” Stallings said.
