Jomiltron Sentell Fair Jr., a 17-year-old at Gaffney , was shot and killed Wednesday morning at a school bus stop in Gaffney, South Carolina, just days after students returned to classrooms for the new school year.
Fair Jr was identified as the victim by the Cherokee County Coroner’s Office after the shooting in the 500 block of West Rutledge Avenue.
According to the coroner, Fair walked from his apartment across the street to the bus stop at about 6:49 a.m. and was preparing to board the school bus when a male suspect approached him.
A brief altercation followed before Fair was once. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Who was Jomiltron Sentell Fair Jr.?
Jomiltron Sentell Fair Jr. was a 17-year-old student at Gaffney High School in Gaffney, South Carolina.
According to a profile under the name June Fair, it was noted that he lived in Los Angeles, California.
A woman identifying herself as Tangie Roseboro also on Facebook after the shooting that Jomiltron Fair was her grandson, writing that he had been killed while getting on the school bus.
Fair was killed on the morning of August 12 while he was waiting to board a school bus near his home.
Fair Jr was on his way to school
The shooting happened only two days after students in Cherokee County returned to school for the fall semester on August 10.
The Gaffney Police Department said officers heard the gunshot and responded to the scene, where they attempted life-saving measures.
Surveillance footage from the school bus reportedly captured the suspect fleeing toward a waiting vehicle. Investigators said the person appeared to be a teenage boy, while another individual was driving the vehicle.
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15 students witnessed the shooting
The shooting occurred as students were arriving for school, leaving about 15 students on the bus to witness the.
Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler described Fair’s death as an “absolute tragedy” and expressed concern for the students who witnessed the shooting, Fox News reported.
The school district said there was no known ongoing threat to schools or students based on the information available at the time. Officials urged families to rely on police and district communications rather than unverified reports.
South Carolina candidate mourns student’s death
South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Jermaine Johnson, who represents South Carolina House District 52, expressed condolences following Fair’s death.
In a post on , Johnson said his heart was with Fair’s family and friends, the Gaffney High School community and others mourning the loss, adding that “another young life has been cut short by violence.”
Investigation continues
The Gaffney Police Department has increased patrols around the shooting location and local schools following the killing.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has also joined the investigation through its Special Victims Unit’s Department of Child Fatalities.
SLED said the department is routinely called when a person under 18 dies unexpectedly, suspiciously, without explanation or as the result of violence.
