‘My heart is heavy’: High school student killed in bus stop shooting, authorities say

GAFFNEY, S.C. (FOX Carolina/Gray News) - An investigation is underway after officials said a South Carolina high school student was killed in a bus stop shooting Wednesday morning.

The Cherokee County School District and Gaffney Police Department confirmed the shooting happened near a school bus stop in the 500 block of West Rutledge Avenue.

The victim has been identified as 17-year-old Jomiltron Sentell Fair Jr., a Gaffney High School student.

According to the Cherokee County Coroner’s Office, Fair walked from his apartment across the street to the stop at 6:49 a.m. and was about to board the bus when a male suspect approached him. Following a short altercation, Fair was shot and pronounced dead at the scene.

The coroner said surveillance video on the school bus shows the shooter fleeing to a nearby waiting vehicle driven by another person.

“This is an absolute tragedy,” the coroner said. “It’s a sad world when our children cannot be safe while going to school. My heart is heavy for this student’s family and those 15 students who were on board the bus and witnessed this heinous crime.”

Students in Cherokee County just returned to the classroom on Aug. 10.

Gaffney Police Chief Gerald Knight said extra patrols will be stationed at the shooting location and across local schools for the remainder of the week.

The Cherokee County School District said in a statement that law enforcement is investigating the shooting and there is no danger to students or other campuses “based on the information available” at this time..

“We understand that incidents like this can be frightening for students, families, and staff. The district is working closely with law enforcement and will provide additional information as it becomes available,” school officials added in the statement.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, or SLED, confirmed its Special Victims Unit – Department of Child Fatalities was called in to assist with the investigation. SLED officials noted that the Department of Child Fatalities is routinely requested to investigate the death of any child under the age of 18 that is unexpected, suspicious, unexplained or the result of violence.

Schools are expected to continue to operate with safety measures in place, according to the district.