As hundreds of sirens screamed past her home on the way to what would be a deadly school shooting in South Carolina, Elaine Griffin was talking to the suspected gunman through her security doorbell camera.Griffin shared the video with sister station WYFF taken at her home in Greenville County, which shows a visibly shaken boy asking for help just minutes after the shooting was reported.The boy, 12, whose name has not been released because of his age, remains at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia. He’s charged with the murder of 12-year-old Jamari Cortez Bonaparte Jackson.The two boys both attended Tanglewood Middle School, where the school shooting took place Thursday just after noon.The coroner said Friday Jackson died of a gunshot wound to the chest at 1:05 p.m. at the hospital.In the video, you can see the boy, wearing a backpack, first trying to open the back door, but it’s locked.Looking around, he knocks on Griffin’s door and also rings the doorbell.”He was begging for us to let him in,” Griffin told WYFF.But no one was home.For more than a half-hour, Griffin talks with the boy off-and-on through the camera system on her phone. “Can I come in and call my dad? There’s been a shooting at school,” he says.Breathing heavy, with his hand to his heart, he says, “I’m scared. Please. I just want to go call my dad. Please.””I’ll enter with my hands up,” he says, holding his hands up and taking off his backpack. “I’ll take my bookbag right here.”Griffin asks him what’s wrong, and the boy repeats his plea.”Somebody shot somebody at school. Please. I dropped my bookbag. I’m entering with my hands up. Somebody done shot somebody at school. I’m scared. I just want to call my dad.”As the video goes on, the boy takes off his jacket and nervously scans the neighborhood, up and down the street, as more and more sirens can be heard blaring past.After several minutes, he asks for Griffin’s Wi-Fi password, so he can call his father himself. When that doesn’t work, he again pleads with the woman.”Ma’am, I’m scared. Please. I’ll come in peace. My hands is up, I promise you,” he says.He pulls up a chair on the front deck and sits down, looking anxiously at his phone, as sirens continue in the background.”My heart just went out to him because I thought that it was some shooting at the school and he ran out of the school,” she said.”If I had been here, I probably would have let the baby in because he was a baby to me. So, I would have let him in.” Video: “Stay calm…don’t cry:” Girl tells how she helped other students after school shootingGriffin said she called the boy’s father and told him the boy was on her deck and he was scared after the shooting at the school.The father’s number eventually showed up on her phone calling her back, but when she answered it, it was a detective from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, she said. Griffin said she was asked to describe the boy. The detective also told her not to tell the boy she was in contact with the sheriff’s office.The video shows the boy finally getting up from the chair and disappearing from the frame.Griffin says she reviewed the video and realized he had jumped over the railing of her back deck. Deputies said they found the boy hiding underneath Griffin’s deck.Griffin’s security video captured the boy being led away in handcuffs.”My heart just goes out to both of the families because both of them have loss,” she said.
As hundreds of sirens screamed past her home on the way to what would be a deadly school shooting in South Carolina, Elaine Griffin was talking to the suspected gunman through her security doorbell camera.
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Griffin shared the video with sister station WYFF taken at her home in Greenville County, which shows a visibly shaken boy asking for help just minutes after the shooting was reported.
The boy, 12, whose name has not been released because of his age, remains at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia.
He’s charged with the murder of 12-year-old Jamari Cortez Bonaparte Jackson.
The two boys both attended Tanglewood Middle School, where the school shooting took place Thursday just after noon.
The coroner said Friday Jackson died of a gunshot wound to the chest at 1:05 p.m. at the hospital.
In the video, you can see the boy, wearing a backpack, first trying to open the back door, but it’s locked.
Looking around, he knocks on Griffin’s door and also rings the doorbell.
“He was begging for us to let him in,” Griffin told WYFF.
But no one was home.
For more than a half-hour, Griffin talks with the boy off-and-on through the camera system on her phone.
“Can I come in and call my dad? There’s been a shooting at school,” he says.
Breathing heavy, with his hand to his heart, he says, “I’m scared. Please. I just want to go call my dad. Please.”
“I’ll enter with my hands up,” he says, holding his hands up and taking off his backpack. “I’ll take my bookbag right here.”
Griffin asks him what’s wrong, and the boy repeats his plea.
“Somebody shot somebody at school. Please. I dropped my bookbag. I’m entering with my hands up. Somebody done shot somebody at school. I’m scared. I just want to call my dad.”
As the video goes on, the boy takes off his jacket and nervously scans the neighborhood, up and down the street, as more and more sirens can be heard blaring past.
After several minutes, he asks for Griffin’s Wi-Fi password, so he can call his father himself. When that doesn’t work, he again pleads with the woman.
“Ma’am, I’m scared. Please. I’ll come in peace. My hands is up, I promise you,” he says.
He pulls up a chair on the front deck and sits down, looking anxiously at his phone, as sirens continue in the background.
“My heart just went out to him because I thought that it was some shooting at the school and he ran out of the school,” she said.
“If I had been here, I probably would have let the baby in because he was a baby to me. So, I would have let him in.”
Video: “Stay calm…don’t cry:” Girl tells how she helped other students after school shooting
Griffin said she called the boy’s father and told him the boy was on her deck and he was scared after the shooting at the school.
The father’s number eventually showed up on her phone calling her back, but when she answered it, it was a detective from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, she said. Griffin said she was asked to describe the boy. The detective also told her not to tell the boy she was in contact with the sheriff’s office.
The video shows the boy finally getting up from the chair and disappearing from the frame.
Griffin says she reviewed the video and realized he had jumped over the railing of her back deck.
Deputies said they found the boy hiding underneath Griffin’s deck.
Griffin’s security video captured the boy being led away in handcuffs.
“My heart just goes out to both of the families because both of them have loss,” she said.
