MYRTLE BEACH (WPDE) -- As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, bus riders are now leaving Socastee High School after being held on lockdown while police investigated a shooting in the School Resource Officer's office.
According to Horry County Police, around 2:00 Tuesday afternoon, police say a male student walked into the SRO's office, had a conversation with the officer, and then pulled out a gun and fired at the SRO.
The officer was not hit directly by the bullet, but he did suffer a shrapnel wound. The officer was not seriously hurt, but he was taken to the emergency room. He has now been treated and released. According to the Horry County Police Department website, the SRO for Socastee High School is Pfc. Erik Karney.
Police arrested the student.
A student outside the school told NewsChannel 15 that he and other students were in class when they heard the gunshot. Almost immediately, the student said an administrator came on the school's loudspeaker and announced a red alert. The students initially thought it was a drill, but word soon spread that the SRO had been injured and that a shot had indeed been fired.
At some point during all of this, police got word of the possibility of a suspicious device on campus. They brought in teams to conduct a security sweep of the school. Around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, the State Law Enforcement Division helicopter landed at the school, delivering a bomb squad team from Columbia.
Immediately after the shooting, the students were evacuated from the school and gathered in the football stadium. No students were hurt.
We're told the student in custody is a juvenile, whose name is not being released.
Socastee Elementary School is next door to the high school and was also on lockdown during the investigation. The elementary students were released about 4:15 Tuesday afternoon.
(This story courtesy WPDE and CarolinaLive.com.)
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