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Teen suspect in South Carolina schoolyard shooting due in court

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A South Carolina judge will decide on Friday whether a teenage boy suspected of killing his father and wounding two boys and a teacher at an elementary school should remain in jail.

The 14-year-old was arrested on Wednesday after crashing a pickup truck into a fence around Townville Elementary School and shooting two students and a teacher. He had previously shot his father, 47-year-old Jeffrey Osborne, at their home about 2 miles (3 km) away, according to police.

The boy, who has not been identified, will appear before an Anderson County judge for an initial detention hearing at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT), prosecutor Chrissy Adams said in a statement.

Since the suspect is a juvenile, all hearings will be closed to the public, she said.

"While I realize there are many unanswered questions, the investigation into this tragedy is in a critical stage, and is ongoing," Adams said.

The incident was the latest in a series of shootings at U.S. schools that have fueled debate about access to guns. Many schools have beefed up security since 2012, when a gunman shot and killed 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Six-year-old Jacob Hall, one of the boys who were shot, is in critical condition at the Greenville Health System Children's Hospital. A bullet tore through his femoral artery, causing blood loss that led to a "major brain injury," the family said.

Teacher Meghan Hollingsworth, who was shot in the shoulder, and the other boy, also 6, according to media reports, were treated and released.

Billy McAdams, chief of the Townville Volunteer Fire Department, credited fellow first responders and the school's staff for preventing more casualties. Hollingsworth shepherded students inside to safety and urged medical staff to care for the injured children before her, he said.

Jamie Brock, a volunteer firefighter, was unarmed when he pinned down the shooter for police, McAdams said at a news conference.

Authorities said they did not know of any connection between the shooter and the victims at the school.

Citing the aunt of a 6-year-old girl who was headed outside for recess, the Greenville News reported that the suspect said, "I hate my life," before firing a handgun at the school.

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