A six-year-old boy who was critically wounded in a school shooting has died, four days after a 14-year-old boy opened fire on a school playground.
Jacob Hall had been fighting for his life at a hospital after a bullet struck him in a main artery in his leg, causing him a major brain injury due to a "catastrophic" loss of blood, his doctor said.
Jacob died surrounded by his family at Greenville Health System Children's Hospital at 1pm on Saturday local time, his parents said in a statement.
Renae and Rodger Hall thanked the nurses and doctors who cared for Jacob and his teacher Meghan Hollingsworth, "who put her life on the line to try to protect and save Jacob.''
"God gave him to us and he was taken away from us by a senseless act," they said in the statement.
"We know that Jacob has already forgiven this child for what he did to him and his family because that's the kind of child he was.''
Jacob, another student and a first-grade teacher at Townville Elementary were wounded by the teenager, who had just killed his father at their home on Wednesday.
After the slaying, the teen - who is not old enough to have a driver's licence - drove a pickup truck about 3 miles down a country road, crashed at the school and started firing with a handgun, authorities said.
The wounded were struck as a door opened for recess.
Another teacher who heard the first gunshot was able to get other students safely inside, school officials have said.
The other wounded student and Hollingsworth were treated and released from a hospital.
Authorities have not released a motive for either shooting.
The teenager has been charged as a juvenile with murder and three counts of attempted murder.
