Meet the Hero Who Likely Prevented a Massacre During the South Carolina School Shooting

Another horrific school shooting was thankfully prevented and the courageous hero says he did what any of the fireman would have.

In South Carolina, Jamie Brock, 30-year veteran volunteer firefighter, tackled a teenager with a handgun in the school playground of Townville Elementary before the teen could get inside the school building. Before being tackled, the teen had already shot two schoolchildren, one teacher, and his father.

On Wednesday afternoon, before reaching the school, the teen shot and killed his 47-year-old father, Jeffrey Osborne, at their home two miles from the school.

According to Anderson County authorities, the unidentified teen called his grandmother crying after shooting his dad but when his grandparents, who lived close by, arrived at his home their grandson was gone and the father was found dead.

A minute later around 2 p.m. authorities were contacted.

The teenage shooter drove a truck into the school’s parking lot and began moving toward the school, firing as he got out of the vehicle, Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper said. One student was shot in the foot, one teacher in the shoulder, and another student in the leg.

Following this, Brock sighted the gunman and “just took him down” before he could make it to the school building, said Skipper. Brock was able to make it there quickly to tackle the young shooter before officers could because the fire station is near the school.

Brock “wants to remain humble and quiet about it,” said Scott Stoller from Anderson County Emergency Management, because “he did nothing any of the other volunteer firefighters wouldn’t have done. [That being said] Firefighter Brock is absolutely a hero.”

One of the students and the teacher who were shot were released from the hospital later Wednesday evening, said a spokeswoman from health services in the area. However, the other student, Jacob Hall, remains in critical condition.

The hashtag #PrayersForJacob began circulating on the internet after news of the incident broke.

Children of the elementary school were evacuated from the scene on school buses or picked up from their parents immediately after the incident and classes were cancelled for the rest of the week.

The name of the shooter has not yet been released, nor his motives determined. All is known is that the teenage boy was homeschooled. His mother was at work at the time of both shootings.