COLUMBIA, S.C. — A 14-year-old is now the latest suspect to be charged with killing three Eau Claire High School students and wounding an Alcorn Middle School student Sunday afternoon.
Richland County deputies said Tuesday morning they took the teen into custody. Two other suspects--17-year-old Karlos Damon Gibson and 17-year-old Jakeem Griffin--were already behind bars. All three suspects are charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
The 14-year-old's name is not being released because under South Carolina law, a juvenile suspect's identify cannot be made public unless that person is charged as an adult. The 14-year-old will go to Family Court where a judge will decide if he'll be tried as an adult.
According to the Richland County Sheriff's Department, deputies were dispatched around 2 p.m. Sunday to the 200 block of Saddletrail Road, which is off Fairfield Road. The area is in the Lincolnshire subdivision.
Deputies say when they got to the scene they found four people with gunshot wounds, The sheriff's department said they were taken to an area hospital for treatment. Three of the victims died while the 14-year-old was shot in the lower body and has been released.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said Monday the shooting arose over what he called "something stupid:" A beef that had begun years ago.
Lott said the victims were sitting in front of the house when the shooters walked up to them an started firing. He said there was a chaotic scene because of so many gunshots fired.
In response to the shooting, community leader say they want to try and find ways to curb teen violence. They're asking the public to come to a community forum Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Crane Creek Gymnasium at 7405 Fairfield Road.
The sheriff's department urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC or CrimeSC.com.