Williamsburg Co. deputies arrest 2 youths after school shooting threat

WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - Two children are in custody after deputies say they called in a school shooting threat at a middle school in Hemingway, Williamsburg County deputies say.

The names of the children were not released because of their age. They face charges of disturbing schools, student threats and unlawful use of a telephone, Investigator Jalisa Brown said.

Deputies responded Thursday to a report of a shooting threat received at M.B. Lee Middle School, which had been placed on lockdown as a safety precaution.

Officers determined there were no active shooters at the school and spoke with school staff who provided them with a telephone number from which the threat was received, Brown said.

The telephone number led investigators to an address where they were able to identify the two youths as the callers and they were taken to the Hemingway Police Department.

“After interviewing the juveniles, investigators alleged that the juveniles called the school twice, stating that they were going to shoot up the school,” Brown said.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division helped deputies with the investigation, which is still ongoing.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office’s Criminal Investigation Division at 843-355-6381. You do not need to provide your name to give information.

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