South Carolina 12-year-old could be tried as adult in school shooting. What we know

The 13th Circuit Solicitor has asked Family Court for approval to try a 12-year-old charged with murder in a school shooting as an adult.

Solicitor Walt Wilkins said this is the youngest juvenile his office has requested to move the case from Family Court to General Sessions.

Jamari Cortez Bonaparte Jackson, also 12, died March 31 after being shot in the chest while in the hallway of Tanglewood MIddle School.

The suspected shooter, whose name has not been released because he is a juvenile, was arrested while hiding under a deck at a house close to the school about an hour after the shooting.

The gun used in the shooting was recovered there as well.

He was 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.

He has been held at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia since his arrest.

The process to try a juvenile as an adult is lengthy and involves evaluation of the child and consideration of the seriousness of the charge. Safety of the child and the public are considered, state law says.

South Carolina law says a juvenile of any age may be tried as a adult if the charge is murder.

This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 8:21 AM.