Man stirs panic as he runs through school recess, says someone shot at him, SC cops say

A man hopped a fence during an elementary school’s summer recess and “caused panic” when he said he was being shot at, South Carolina police said.

Officers were called to Legacy Early College for a reported shooting on the morning of July 11, but found there was no active shooter and no shooting had taken place at the school, according to a statement from the Greenville Police Department.

Students and faculty members told officers that during recess, they saw a man jump over the fence. He said he had been shot at before running toward the school doors, police said.

Everyone who was outside ran toward the school, and “during the chaos,” the man entered the school, the statement says.

Faculty members found him inside and separated him from the students. Officers interviewed him and arrested him on charges of disturbing school and filing a false police report, the statement says.

Legacy Early College, a kindergarten through 12th grade public charter school, said in a statement that no one was harmed during the incident.

“...our primary concern is keeping our scholars safe, so that they can experience an exceptional educational environment and fulfill their academic potential,” the statement says. “With this focus in mind, today we followed our lockdown procedures with integrity and ensured each scholar was accounted for and safe after this incident.”

School staff called families once every student was accounted for, the statement says.

Many school districts around the country have been on edge since the May 24 shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two teachers dead.

On June 9, officers in Alabama shot and killed a man who reached for a school resource officer’s gun outside an elementary school, officials said.

Legacy Early College said that summer classes would resume with their normal schedule on July 12, but that the elementary school would have an increased police presence.

“Along with addressing this safety concern, we will also be providing onsite counseling services to all of our scholars,” the statement says.

Greenville is about 104 miles northwest of Columbia.

This story was originally published July 11, 2022 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Man stirs panic as he runs through school recess, says someone shot at him, SC cops say."