14-Year-Old Arrested and Charged With Murder in Fatal Teen Shooting That Killed Three People In South Carolina

In the South Carolina capital city, Columbia, a 14-year-old has been apprehended in connection with a tragic weekend shooting that claimed the lives of three teenagers and left another injured. This incident was the result of a longstanding dispute spanning years. 

Officials confirmed the arrest on Tuesday, adding to the charges faced by two 17-year-old suspects. All three are now accused of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, as per the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

The two older teenagers will be tried as adults, while the fate of the 14-year-old's case will be determined by a judge, whether it remains in juvenile court or not. 

The shocking incident unfolded on a Sunday afternoon when two individuals opened fire near an abandoned house. Tragically, this act resulted in the deaths of three students from Eau Claire High School, aged between 16 and 17, and left a 14-year-old middle school student injured. 

It's worth noting that the two older suspects attended the same high school as the victims, while the 14-year-old suspect shared the same middle school as the sole survivor.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department received a call regarding the shooting just after 2 p.m. on Sunday. The attackers continued to shoot as the victims tried to escape towards the backyard, according to a redacted incident report. 

This incident marked an alarming escalation of a dispute that reportedly began two years earlier with a burglary.

While specific details regarding the level of involvement of each suspect have not been disclosed by the department, all three individuals arrested are considered "culpable" and are believed to have acted in coordination, according to Deputy Veronica Hill, a public information officer for the sheriff's department.

Tragically, the three high school students succumbed to their injuries at the hospital, while the middle school student has since been released.

In another recent development, the white Texas gunman responsible for the 2019 Walmart massacre, where 23 lives were tragically lost, has agreed to compensate victims of the racially motivated attack with a sum exceeding $5 million. See detailed story here

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