This story was updated at 4:51 p.m. on May 30 to reflect additional details reported by local media outlets in New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Portsmouth school and community leaders are mobilizing to offer counseling and other support after a local elementary school student was fatally shot in South Carolina this weekend.
According to a report from South Carolina news station WPDE, 8-year-old Quarius Naqua Dunham and his father were both shot while traveling by car through Florence County. Dunham, who was in third grade at Portsmouth’s Little Harbour Elementary School, died after being struck in the neck; his father “was hit in the leg and is expected to survive,” according to WPDE.
Authorities have charged 40-year-old Charles Montgomery Allen, a Florence resident, with murder in connection with Dunham’s death, according to Seacoast Online.
“The Florence County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of ‘multiple shots fired’ and shortly after arriving at the scene ‘located suspect Charles Montgomery Allen and took him into custody following a brief standoff at his residence on Old River Road,’” Seacoast Online reported. “Allen remained held at the Florence County Detention Center without bond Tuesday.”
Seacoast Online said they did not know the identity of Allen’s attorney.
Portsmouth Superintendent Steve Zadravec said grief counselors are offering support for students and staff, and neighboring district and local mental health providers are also assisting.
“An event like this touches our community as a whole,” Zadravec wrote in a message to the school community on Monday, as reported by Seacoast Online. “Our hearts are with the family as we support each other through this unbelievable tragedy."
South Church in Portsmouth also announced that it would open its doors for a vigil Tuesday evening, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
“Today, let us hold the family and friends of Quarius Dunham in our hearts,” the church wrote on its Facebook page. “Let us hold the parents and children in our community who are struggling with this event and how to reclaim a sense of safety. Today let us grieve the sadness of all of this.”
