S.C. shooting victim, Jacob Hall, 6, dies
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Jacob Hall, the first-grade boy shot in the leg on the playground of a South Carolina elementary school Wednesday, has died, Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore said.
Jacob, 6, died at 12:56 p.m. Saturday, Shore said. An autopsy is scheduled in Anderson, S.C., on Sunday, he said.
In a public Facebook post, Hall's brother Gerald Gambrell, said "God took his strongest soldier.
"Jacob will be with us forever and always in our hearts. I love you little brother and I can't wait till the day we meet again. Your my hero buddy. I love you so much watch over your family son."
Jacob's parents, Renae and Rodger Hall, issued a statement Saturday after his death, which said in part:
Our son, Jacob Hall, who was shot at Townville Elementary School on Wednesday, died today surrounded by family at Greenville Health System Children’s Hospital. Jacob came into our lives six years and four months ago and changed it completely. He showed us how to love, laugh and smile even on days we did not want to. God gave him to us and he was taken away from us by a senseless act. We know that Jacob has already forgiven this child for what he did to him and his family because that's the kind of child he was. Jacob was sent to this earth for this short a period of time to show us that there is such a thing as pure love. Jacob is in heaven with God now and everyone who loves him. Words cannot express how much we will miss him.
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Jacob was shot as he and other students exited a door onto a playground at Townville Elementary School at about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday. Another student and a teacher also were shot and survived. Hall was flown by helicopter to Greenville Memorial Hospital and remained in critical condition until his death.
Jacob was struck in the leg and the bullet hit his femoral artery and caused massive blood loss, said Dr. Keith Webb, his physician at Greenville Health System Children’s Hospital, in a statement Thursday.
Jacob's heart had stopped twice and he had been placed on life support and Webb said Jacob underwent surgery and a number of procedures to try to stabilize him.
“Jacob was a tremendous fighter but was unable to overcome the catastrophic blood loss and resulting cardiopulmonary arrest caused when the bullet hit his femoral artery,” Webb said in a statement Saturday. “We grieve for the loss of this little boy and pray for his family as they work through this extraordinarily difficult time.”
A 14-year-old South Carolina boy was charged as a juvenile Friday with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder. The murder charge was in relation to the shooting death of his father, Jeffrey Osborne. USA TODAY does not normally name juveniles charged with a crime unless they face charges in adult court.
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Once the autopsy has been completed to show an official cause of death, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office and the Tenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office plan to petition the court to have the 14-year-old's attempted murder charge upgraded to murder, said Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper.
Jacob was described by family as intelligent and helpful, a “God-fearing” child who attended church regularly at Oakdale Baptist Church in Townville, the only place he’d known as home.
With light brown hair, dark-rimmed glasses and a near-constant smile, Jacob was a joy to be around, friends and family said.
Carolyn Blizzard, whose husband, David, is senior pastor at Oakdale, said Jacob was involved in all the children's activities at the church, and that he also attended Good News Club, an after-school, Bible-based program. Blizzard said Jacob's family has talked repeatedly about his faith and their own during the past few days.
"Jacob was a little boy of such strong faith," said Carolyn Blizzard. "He was funny and bright and just a little sponge, absorbing everything around him.
"Jacob would want to tell them to forgive."
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South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who visited Jacob and his parents in the hospital Wednesday evening, said in a statement that Jacob was a smart, beautiful boy with a contagious smile and strong faith.
“A beloved son and brother, Jacob will be missed but never forgotten,” said Haley. “Our hearts are broken for Jacob's family. Please join Michael and me in lifting them up in prayer during this challenging time."
Anderson School District 4, which includes Townville Elementary, said in a statement that “Jacob is an innocent victim of an unexplainable act of violence that occurred while he was on his way to the school playground Wednesday afternoon. Jacob was a delightful child who was full of joy and beloved by his family, friends and all at Townville Elementary School. Despite a strong fight these past few days, his life was cut short by this tragedy that cannot be explained or easily understood. Jacob will not be forgotten. We grieve for his parents and his family. We will wrap our arms around his teacher, his friends and his classmates.”
Jacob's death is going to be difficult for the teachers, staff and students at Townville Elementary, which is why the district has decided to wait until Thursday to resume classes to give them time to grieve, said Tom Dobbins, chairman of the District 4 board of trustees.
"It is just a tragedy," said Dobbins, who attended Oakdale Baptist along with Jacob. "He was a fun-loving little boy who was full of life.
"It is sad that society has come to do this," he said.
Cary reports for the Greenville (S.C.) News; Mayo and Brown report for the Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail.Follow Nathaniel Cary, Nikie Mayo and Kirk Brownon Twitter: @nathanielcary, @NikieMayo and @KirkBrown_AIM
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