Freshman Could Face Attempted Murder in S.C. High School Shooting, Second Student Questioned

COLUMBIA, S.C. (CBS/AP) Police have questioned a second student at Socastee High School in South Carolina where pipe bombs were discovered and disarmed after a freshman allegedly shot at an on-campus officer Tuesday.

The freshman allegedly confronted school resource officer Erik Karney, reports Horry County Police spokesman Sgt. Robert Kegler.

According to police, the two got into a scuffle Tuesday afternoon and at a point during the tussle the student, whose name is not being released because of his age, shot at Karney. The bullet missed the officer, but he was injured after it struck a wall, said Kegler. Karney subdued the student and took him into custody before he was treated and later released from a hospital.

On Wednesday, Socastee High principal Paul Browning said police questioned the second student about the incident, and he was later released to his parents.

Investigators also interviewed other students Wednesday, addressing comments that were posted on a social networking site before the shooting, Browning said.

When authorities evacuated students to a football field following the shooting bomb squads removed and disarmed explosive devices that were discovered in the school. Police also inspected the freshman's Myrtle Beach home and reportedly found items "consistent with the construction of pipe bombs and other incendiary devices."

The freshman student is expected to appear in Family Court on Friday, said prosecutor Greg Hembree.

Hembree plans to file a charge of attempted murder against the teen and wants to prosecute him as an adult, though that decision will be left to a judge. The freshman could also face charges for alleged possession or construction of an incendiary device, Hembree said.

Though classes have resumed at Socastee High School students must walk through metal detectors for the rest of the week. Officer Karney was set to return to the school Monday.

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