Firefighters took control of school shooting scene

Chief aided critically hurt child, volunteer subdued the suspect.

TOWNVILLE, S.C. —

When a volunteer firefighter and his chief rolled up to an elementary school shooting, they found only a wrecked black pickup truck at the playground. There was no gunman, and no one inside the truck.

Within minutes, though, they performed actions that led to them being hailed as heroes throughout their tight-knit South Carolina hometown: One went inside to help treat the wounded and the other found and subdued the shooter.

“This was more than just another call to us. This incident occurred in the school where our children and the children of the community attend,” Townville Fire Chief Billy McAdams said Thursday during a news conference.

Authorities say the teen shot and killed his father, Jeffrey Osborne, at their home before driving the pickup to Townville Elementary School. Crashing the truck, he got out and fired at a door as it was being opened for recess, authorities said.

Bullets struck two students and a first-grade teacher, and the building was immediately placed on lockdown.

One of the wounded, 6-year-old Jacob Hall, remained in critical condition Thursday. The teacher, who was shot in the shoulder, and another student, who was hit in the foot, were treated and released from a hospital, officials said.

The teen was arrested minutes after the shooting and is set for a hearing today to determine if he should remain in jail or be released.

The shooter never made it inside the school, and no one else was hurt, Anderson County District 4 Superintendent Joanne Avery said.

Authorities said they didn’t yet know the motive for the shooting and they were not sure if the students and teacher were targeted or shot randomly.

Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper said the teen, whose name and age were not released, had been homeschooled, but the reason isn’t clear.

McAdams said he and firefighter Jamie Brock were working on his farm when they got the call about an active shooter at Townville Elementary. They rushed to the school, where teachers told them there were wounded inside.

McAdams tended to Jacob, who was the most seriously injured. In the meantime, Brock looked for the shooter, finding him near the back of the school building.

“Feeling it was imperative to the safety of the students, the teachers and all the responders that were on site, he immediately confronted and subdued that shooter,” McAdams said. “He was able to keep him on the ground until law enforcement could place him into custody.”

In a statement read by McAdams, Brock said he didn’t want attention for his actions. “The true heroes of yesterday’s senseless tragedy are the teachers who put their lives on the line to protect the students and the principal, through fears of her own, did what was right to ensure the safety of those students,” he said. “They deserve to be called the heroes, and I tip my hat to them.”

The teen’s mother, Tiffney Osborne, said in a statement that the family “cannot express the devastation we feel at the loss of our beloved Jeff.”

Both Tiffney and Jeffrey Osborne’s first marriages ended in divorce before they got married.

The teen suspect is set for a hearing today to determine if he should remain in jail or be released.

JAY REEVES / ASSOCIATED PRESS A bicyclist rides past a sign urging prayer for 6-year-old Jacob Hall, who was injured critically during a school shooting in Townville, S.C., on Thursday. Authorities say a teacher and one other student also were wounded.