SC child who was 12 when he allegedly shot fellow student to be tried as an adult for murder

A Circuit Court judge ruled Thursday that a boy who was 12 in 2022 when he was accused of shooting and killing a fellow middle school student in Greenville should be tried as an adult.

Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Judge Jessica A. Salvini said the facts of the case met all the requirements to move the case from Family Court to General Sessions.

13th Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins, who requested the move, said at the time this is the youngest juvenile his office has requested to try as an adult.

Jamari Cortez Bonaparte Jackson, 12, died March 31, 2022 after being shot in the chest while in the hallway of Tanglewood MIddle School.

His family pressed for the suspect to be tried as an adult

When the shooting happened, the family released a statement saying, “We are all devastated by today’s tragedy. We love Jamari dearly.”

The suspect’s attorney Ryan Beasley declined to comment Thursday.

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

The suspected shooter, whose name has not been released, 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.

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 an adult if the charge is murder.