Girl, 10, charged with threatening to shoot and kill classmates

A 10-year-old girl is facing criminal charges in South Carolina after allegedly saying she wanted to bring a gun to school and kill fellow students.

Police in Georgetown County, located north of Charleston, later searched the child's home and found weapons secured in a safe.

The child was charged in a juvenile summons with student threats.

A similar incident was reported on the same day, Wednesday, at another school in the same county.

In a statement posted to Facebook, the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office said that the girl will face disciplinary action from the local school district for the incident.

The student is enrolled at Kensington Elementary School, which is located in the county seat of Georgetown. It is unclear if she had access to the weapons found at her home.

In a separate incident reported earlier in the same county earlier on Wednesday, police said that an 11-year-old girl at another elementary school was charged after threatening fellow students.

According to the sheriff's office, the girl reportedly "said she wanted to shoot up the school after an argument with a fellow student".

Investigators conducted a search of the child's home but found no weapons. The school continued to operate normally.

The BBC has contacted the Georgetown County School District and the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office for comment.

The South Carolina incidents mark the latest in a series of cases involving children facing charges for allegedly threatening to harm fellow students or school staff.

In another incident in Tahoka, Texas, earlier this week, a 13-year-old girl was reportedly arrested and charged with threatening or exhibiting a firearm. Classes were temporarily halted while the investigation took place.

A 14-year-old was also arrested in Virginia on Wednesday for allegedly making threats against his school on social media.

The teen in James City County near Williamsburg was later charged with making threats of death or injury.