At two schools just a 10-minute drive from each other in Georgetown, S.C, disturbing threats were received this Wednesday. One was from a 10-year-old girl and the other was from an 11-year-old girl.
“Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a threat made by an 11-year-old girl to fellow students at McDonald Elementary School today,” said one notice from the law enforcement agency. “The girl reportedly said she wanted to shoot up the school after an argument with a fellow student. The child has been charged in a juvenile summons with student threats and will be subject to Georgetown County School District disciplinary policy.”
According to the notice, investigators searched the girl’s home and found no weapons. However, they did find weapons at the home of a 10-year-old -girl who made a similar threat.
“A 10-year-old girl at Kensington Elementary School reportedly said she wanted to bring a firearm to school and kill several students,” said another notice from the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office. “The child has been charged in a juvenile summons with student threats and will be subject to Georgetown County School District disciplinary policy.”
Authorities also said that a search of the girl’s home revealed weapons secured in a safe.
While a notable 1979 mass shooting in San Diego (the inspiration for The Boomtown Rats song “I Don’t Like Mondays”) was carried out by then-teen Brenda Spencer, children and women aren’t regularly identified as mass shooters. Per data provided by the National Institute of Justice as of 2022, 97.7% of mass shooters were male. Ages of the shooters ranged from 11 to 70, with a mean age of 34.1.