(Facebook/Gerald Gambrell) Jacob Hall, 6, passed away on Oct. 1 after suffering from a major brain injury and massive blood loss resulting from a gunshot wound on one of his legs.
Jacob Hall, the 6-year-old boy who was shot during Wednesday’s elementary school shooting in South Carolina, passed away on Saturday.
His parents Renae and Rodger Hall issued a statement to PEOPLE, saying: “Our son, Jacob Hall, who was shot at Townville Elementary School on Wednesday, died today surrounded by family at Greenville Health System Children’s Hospital.”
“Jacob came into our lives six years and four months ago and changed it completely. He showed us how to love, laugh and smile even on days we did not want to. God gave him to us and he was taken away from us by a senseless act,” they said.
Hall, who was a kindergarten student, was one of the victims of a 14-year-old suspect named Jesse Osborne who was charged as a juvenile on Friday with one count of murder for the death of his father and three counts of attempted murder.
One of the bullets from the gun fired by the suspect hit Jacob’s femoral artery in one of his legs, which caused the young boy massive blood loss that led to his cardiopulmonary arrest. Jacob had been on life support because of the major brain injury and massive lost of blood resulting from the shooting.
His doctor, Keith Webb of GHS Children’s Hospital, described Jacob as a “tremendous fighter.” Unfortunately for his family and supporters, the young boy “was unable to overcome the catastrophic blood loss and resulting cardiopulmonary arrest caused when the bullet hit his femoral artery.”
“We grieve for the loss of this little boy and pray for his family as they work through this extraordinarily difficult time,” Webb said.
Despite the loss of their son, the Halls are still thankful to Webb and the nurses of GHS Children’s Hospital “who did everything in their power to try to save Jacob.”
Jacob was shot along with another student and a female teacher named Meghan Hollingsworth. Hollingsworth and the 6-year-old student were released from AnMed Health Medical Center Wednesday evening.
The Halls have tried to remain an optimistic stance even as they lost Jacob. “We know that Jacob has already forgiven this child for what he did to him and his family because that’s the kind of child he was,” the family said. “Jacob was sent to this earth for this short period of time to show us that there is such a thing as pure love. Jacob is in heaven with God now and everyone who loves him. Words cannot express how much we will miss him.”
