SUMTER COUNTY, SC (WIS) – Mother of child killed in shooting a series of accidents He talks about the incident on a Sumter County road Sunday morning.

According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP), 12-year-old Basir Wells and a group of friends were on Britton Road near Excitement Lane at 6 a.m. Sunday before being struck by an eastbound 2020 GMC Sierra. Due to his injuries, he was taken to Prisma Health Richland, where he later died.

In addition to Wells’ death, 15-year-old Marvin Butler was also killed when he was struck by a westbound Dodge pickup truck, according to cops. Two other pedestrians who were with Wells and Butler were also injured but survived.

Wells’ mother, Monica Capers, spoke to WIS News 10 about the incident.

“The kids were walking back home from one of their grandparents’ houses,” Capers said. “When the first driver hit them, one of the children managed to call the grandmother and she arrived at the scene before emergency services arrived. While trying to help injured children, the second vehicle appeared. The grandmother tried to stop the car so it would stop.”

An autopsy for Wells is scheduled for Friday at the University of Medicine in Charleston. Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker said the autopsy will provide information about what the boys were doing when they were shot, specifically whether they were walking or lying on the road.

“While many people question why they walked from so far away, you have to keep in mind that all four of these children come from a rural area where walking from one place to another is basically the way of life,” Kapari said.

He told WIS News 10 he is asking the community to stop spreading rumors that children were involved in car theft before the incidents.

“This wasn’t a bunch of kids just hanging around and trying to get anything done,” Capers continued. “Their biggest mistake in those final moments was not waiting until someone came to pick them up, and the worst decision they made that morning was deciding they could get home faster by walking instead of waiting.”

Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis tells WIS News 10 Wells, Butler or the two other pedestrians are not suspects in the ongoing investigation into the carjacking.

“Accidents happen and we can never question fate,” Capers said. “But when accidents happen, let’s label them as such and not crucify these kids for being kids.”

SCHP said no charges have been filed and the case is still under investigation. The multi-disciplinary action team has spent hours at the scene reconstructing the crashes and will continue to do so.

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