A teenager was rushed to the hospital Thursday morning after being accidentally shot in the head by a friend who was moving a firearm inside a home on Sherwood Lane near Walhalla, according to the Oconee County Sheriff's Office. An E-911 call came in at 8:28 a.m., sending deputies and paramedics to the residence.
The victim was transported to a hospital for treatment, though no update on the teen's condition was available as of Thursday, according to WYFF. Deputies said the shooting happened while the juvenile friend was moving the weapon, and officials stressed the investigation remains in its very early stages. Per 101.7 WGOG, Sherwood Lane is near Walhalla, and the E-911 call came in at 8:28 a.m.
Officials have declined to release the identities of either teenager involved, citing their ages. That silence leaves open basic questions that remain unanswered for now, including exactly how the firearm ended up in the teens' hands and whether any adult in the household could face charges.
A Legal Gray Area for Unsecured Firearms
But the law is far less clear when it comes to how that firearm was stored before a teenager ever picked it up. South Carolina has no statute requiring unattended guns to be locked up or safely stored, and the state imposes no specific criminal penalty for leaving a firearm accessible to an unsupervised minor, according to the Giffords Law Center.
In the absence of a dedicated child-access law, prosecutors sometimes turn to a broader statute instead. Section 63-5-70 of the state code makes it a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, for a parent or guardian to place a child at unreasonable risk of harm or endanger a child's safety, according to Justia Law.
Accidental Shootings Overwhelmingly Happen at Home
The Sherwood Lane shooting fits a pattern the state's own health data has tracked for years. Between 2017 and 2021, South Carolina recorded 78 deaths from unintentional firearm discharges, giving the state an accidental gun mortality rate 2.4 times higher than the national average, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health. Nearly three-quarters of those unintentional fatal injuries, 71.8 percent, happened inside a house or apartment, with more than half occurring at the victim's own residence, the same report found.
The toll extends well beyond South Carolina's borders. Firearm deaths among U.S. children and adolescents under 18 rose 68 percent between 2014 and 2024, according to national mortality data analyzed by KFF, which noted firearm fatalities have outpaced motor vehicle deaths among American youth since 2020.
Part of a Troubling Regional Cluster
Thursday's shooting also follows closely on the heels of another case just one county over. On Wednesday, one day earlier, a shooting in neighboring Anderson County left a 17-year-old hospitalized with gunshot wounds to both legs while sleeping inside a residence, 101.7 WGOG reported. Anderson County borders Oconee County directly to the southeast.
Anyone with information on the Sherwood Lane shooting is encouraged to contact the Oconee County Sheriff's Office. Tips can also be submitted through CrimeStoppers of Oconee County at 1-844-71-CRIME, where a cash reward may be available.
