‘Juvenile’ Suspect Arrested After Student Fatally Shot at NC High School
A North Carolina high school student was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon and the suspect was taken into custody hours later.
Police have released little information about the shooting at Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, but identified the victim as William Chavis Raynard Miller, Jr., as CrimeOnline previously reported.
Previously, authorities said they believed the suspect was also a student, and a law enforcement official later confirmed that he is a minor. WXII informed. Authorities said they believe he is a freshman or sophomore at Mount Tabor.
the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and Winston-Salem Police Department announced the arrest of the suspect, with the help of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, in posts on social media. Later, the sheriff’s office said a press conference would be held at 11 a.m. Thursday and will be streamed live on Facebook. The City of Winston-Salem will stream it live on its YouTube channel.
An hour earlier, the sheriff’s office said it was still working to reunite parents with students at the school, which was closed after the shooting. Officials were also making bereavement counselors available at the reunification site.
With 1,500 students enrolled at Mount Tabor, the area around the school was filled with police and other emergency services, as well as parents desperately trying to obtain information about their children.
At a press conference earlier that day, Winston-Salem Police Chief Catrina Thompson told reporters that a student had been shot and taken to a hospital, where he died.
“We have a mother and a family who will not be able to hug their child tonight,” she said, fighting back tears.
Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. was also excited when speaking to reporters.
“I haven’t cried in a while, but I’ve been crying since I got out of the hospital,” he said.
Kimbrough also said he spoke with the young Miller’s mother at the hospital and promised to do her justice.
In addition to the deputies and police, FBI and ATF agents responded to the scene, according to WTVD. The sheriff’s office said other schools in the area were also closed “as a precaution.”
WTVD also reported that the Winston-Salem school shooting was the second in the state this week. A 15-year-old was charged with attempted murder Monday for allegedly shooting another student at New Hanover High School in Wilmington.
A parent of the Mount Tabor student told the station that his son said he was in the gym when he heard the shots.
“You see things like this in the media,” said Chris Johnson. “It’s scary to know that he actually reached out and touched you this time. My son is not a victim, but he is a part of this and will probably remember it forever. ”
At the time, Johnson said her son was still at school awaiting transportation to the reunification center.