Shootings at Spartanburg apartments involved teens, police say

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – The Spartanburg Police Department said two shootings that occurred at the Crown Pointe Apartments both involved teenagers.

“There was a group of young people, very young, 13 and 14 years old, they had a handgun and decided to make a video, take some pictures and show off the gun in photographs,” said Major Art Littlejohn. “Unfortunately, not having any training and not knowing how handguns work, the weapon went off, striking a 13 year old .”

Major Littlejohn said both incidents could have been prevented and the victims were shot by accident.

On Monday, police said a fight broke out among teens in the parking lot. A man who lived at the complex walked up to his window to look outside, and was hit by a stray bullet that came through the window.

Officials want the community to know these incidents were not violent and neither is this community.

“There is crime and then there is fear crime, when rumors get started and people in that community, they’re afraid that things are happening,” continued Major Littlejohn. “We have a responsibility to do something about it, but we also have a responsibility to look at the numbers and pull data and say ‘Are these things actually happening,’ and many times, they are not.”

Violent crime is down in Spartanburg and Major Littlejohn said there are reasons for these recent shootings.

“Young people are getting a hold of weapons left in cars,” Littlejohn said. “So year to date — so far — we’ve had 49 weapons stolen out of cars and out of those 49 stolen, 44 of those were unlocked,” said Major Littlejohn.

Victims in the shootings sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

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