CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Conway police are still searching for two men after a shooting Monday afternoon.
Lt. Selena Small says police responded around 4:30 to the area of Maple Avenue and Dillon Street in Conway.
That’s just a few blocks from Whittemore Middle School, and that has some parents concerned for the safety of their children.
Billie Rose Jordan has a grandson at the school, and she says when she heard the news about the shooting, she was shocked.
“I was devastated thinking about the kids that was on the playground. What if one of them got shot,” said Jordan.
She says it’s not fair to the parents nor the children to have to worry about safety when they are at school.
That’s why many parents say they’d like to see more police presence in the area and want school leaders to open the doors earlier so their children aren’t waiting outside when they drop them off.
School Board Chair Joe Defeo says he understands those concerns and that change is a possibility.
“I think that’s a discussion that we could certainly have. Almost anything is possible, and if it becomes something that we see is an advantage in the parents, I think that’s something the board could look at or the superintendent could look at,” said Defeo.
As Conway police continue to search for the suspected shooters, parents say they’re left with one major concern.
“It’ll happen again, it’ll happen again. Whoever did it got by with it in broad daylight, right after school. What is to say they will not try it again,” said Jordan.
According to Lt. Small, Monday’s shooting has no ties to the school and the area near the school is where the victim walked to get help.
She says Whittemore Park has an assigned school resource officer, officers already patrol the areas around the schools regularly.
Lt. Small says on Monday, Conway police responded within thirty seconds of being dispatched to the shooting. Still, parents say no matter what the time, they shouldn’t have to worry about violence near the school.
Count on News 13 to keep you updated with this developing story.