GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – The teenage suspect in the 2022 Tanglewood Middle School shooting has pleaded guilty to killing his classmate.
Jordan Williams Jr., who was 12 years old at the time of the shooting and is now 16, appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon. There, he pleaded guilty and was was sentenced to 30 years prison.
The sentencing stems from a shooting that took place on March 31, 2022. Officials said 12-year-old Jamari Jackson was shot in the chest after Williams opened fire in the hallway at Tanglewood Middle School. Jackson later died at the hospital.
Williams was prosecuted as an adult after a judge ruled in March 2024 that the case met the legal criteria to be moved to adult court.
Judge Salvini said the case met eight factors required for a waiver to adult court, calling it one of the most difficult decisions she has had to make. Salvini cited testimony about planning and alleged statements made before the shooting, as well as the public location where it happened, as part of her decision.
In court on Wednesday, Williams agreed to a negotiated plea deal of 30 years.
The defense called the punishment cruel and unusual because Williams was just 12 years old at the time of the murder. The state disagreed saying the punishment fit the crime.
Investigators said Williams spent time planning the shooting, told classmates he planned to murder Jackson, and even wrote letters about the homicide.
“Messages between the victim and the defendant showed that the victim did not want to engage with the defendant if it was going to involve a gun,” officials said. “The defendant repeatedly said he was going to shoot the victim in the hallway even after the victim asked him to stop texting and why he had a gun. The defendant told the victim to delete the text messages and the victim refused just minutes before the shooting. The defendant showed the gun to students in class and was seen with it on the bus. There is nothing to explain or justify what happened in the school hallway that day. The shooting was preplanned and the comments made to students long with the text messages demonstrate malice of forethought. Jordan’s shooting of Jamari caused his death.”
16-year-old Williams will spend 30 years in the Department of Corrections with credit for time served since his 2022 arrest.
