North Carolina school shooting victim pictured in new family photo, suspect's identity still under wraps

close

Video

Manhunt for suspect after North Carolina high school shooting

Parent of student at Winston-Salem's Mount Tabor high school speaks with 'The Story'

North Carolina authorities shared a new family photo Thursday of the teenager killed during a shooting that broke out a day earlier at Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, as the identity of the suspect and any potential charges have not been released pending further investigation. 

The Winston Salem Police Department first identified the victim on Wednesday as William Chavis Raynard Miller Jr., and on Thursday, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office provided Fox News a photo the showing the male victim, whose exact age has not been disclosed, pictured with family.

During a press conference at the Forsyth County Public Safety building Thursday, officials including North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough, Jr., Winston Salem police Chief Catrina Thompson, and Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill were tight-lipped in providing additional details about the circumstances of the shooting that broke out around 12:30 p.m.

NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING LEAVES 1 STUDENT DEAD; SUSPECT IN CUSTODY 

"Shannon Clark lost her son yesterday," Kimbrough said Thursday, detailing a conversation he had privately with the victim’s mother. She told him, "I didn’t get a chance to tell my baby I loved him. Tell mothers to tell their sons to put the guns down. It’s senseless. I’m asking our community to do this."

William Chavis Raynard Miller Jr. (far left) and his mother Shannon Clark. The teen was killed in a shooting at Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem. (Kwik Flix Photography)

"Our hearts go out to all parents not only in this community but across the state who have students in school experiencing the concern, the anger, the fear that this kind of incident brings," Cooper also said. "I’m here today because I know there’s pain, but I’m also here today to commend educators, law enforcement and all this community for all they have done to get through this. You are not alone."

Officials declined to identify the suspect, who was initially "on the loose" but apprehended later Wednesday at a different location after fleeing the high school. 

Kimbrough detailed the robust response of law enforcement, saying two school resource officers were at the scene at the time the shooting broke out and he himself arrived at the scene within eight minutes. He also credited teachers for sheltering in place, thus protecting their students and preventing further loss of life. 

"What I want my community to know is this – while yesterday was a difficult day for us, we’ve seen some difficult days, and, as always, God has delivered us from the valleys and over the mountains. And He will deliver us again from this," Kimbrough said. "I applaud the teachers at Mount Tabor how they sheltered in place with those kids." 

Repeatedly declining to provide specifics about the investigation, the district attorney spoke broadly about the need for more preventative mental health resources and after school programs for students from homes with two working parents. He said gangs target children as young as sixth- and seventh-graders. 

"We need more opportunities for kids after school. We need more Boys & Girls Clubs. We need more people to volunteer their time so children have options after school is over," O'Neill said. "We cannot comment on the facts of this case. I hope everyone understands that. That’s a broader social issue we deal with in a metropolitan area like this."

"Idle hands are going to be the devil’s workshop from now until the end of time. God bless our law enforcement," the district attorney added. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Wednesday’s deadly incident in Winston-Salem was the second school shooting statewide this week. Cooper, a Democrat, insisted that students must return to in-person learning after the pandemic to ensure an optimal learning environment. He said North Carolina’s successes in ensuring school safety include developing coordinated school violence response plans, rehearsing lockdown procedures, and the state department of public safety keeping detailed floor plans of every school in the state. 

The "work to do ahead," according to Cooper, involves training more school resource officers, bolstering mental health treatment and prevention for students, investing in educators and "keeping guns out our schools."