Teenager shot at Spartanburg apartment complex

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – A juvenile was shot Wednesday afternoon at an apartment complex in Spartanburg.

The shooting happened at the Crown Pointe Apartments on Powell Mill Road shortly before 5 p.m. Officers discovered a teenager who was suffering from gunshot wounds.

The victim informed police that he was standing outside when he was struck by gunfire. The male then ran into his apartment and an adult called the police.

The victim, age 13, was shot twice, once in the stomach and his left hand, according to police.

According to Kathy Knop, a tenant living in the building where the teenager was shot, she heard the sound of gunfire and called 911.

“Basically I was just sitting at my apartment with my mom and my cat and all of the sudden we just heard a gunshot go off, and we heard a kid screaming, ‘ya shot me’ and they just took off up the steps and I called the cops,” said Knop.

Spartanburg Police said the juvenile was conscious while headed to the hospital.

Spartanburg investigators are interviewing witnesses and a possible person of interest.

Sandra Brown and Knop, both three-year tenants of Crown Pointe, told 7NEWS a group of juveniles has been causing problems since Spring.

“It’s not the first time that we’ve had to deal with gunshots, but it’s the first time that it’s gotten this deep,” said Brown. “Like I said, we’ve been here the longest out of all the tenants here in the building. This summer has been the worst summer for us.”

Both Brown and Knop said drug deals go down in their building’s hallways, they hear gunshots at night and that a group of kids frequently block the hallways preventing tenants from passing through.

“There’s a couple of them that seem like they want [us] to pay a toll to get up in there, but I don’t pay up no toll so I get up my bag and knock em on the upside of the head,” said Brown.

According to Brown a fight with dozens of kids broke out on Friday outside her building as she was coming home from work.

Both Knop and Brown said building management released a community-wide letter on Tuesday asking residents to contact police for the problem of “loitering and prohibited activities.”

“I think what can be done has been done,” said Brown referencing the shooting that occurred outside her apartment building.

“I think today was the icing on that cake. I hope that the kids see that this incident here with this little boy getting hurt is not a game. People’s lives are in danger and when you’re talking about kids, as a parent and as a grandma? Oh no, no.”

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