Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WEST LIBERTY, Ohio (AP) — A 17-year-old boy accused of shooting two students at his high school, injuring them, has been charged in juvenile court with attempted murder and felonious assault, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
Other charges against the teen include inducing panic, improperly discharging a weapon at or into a school safety zone and illegal conveyance or possession of a deadly weapon in a school safety zone, Champaign County Prosecutor Kevin Talebi said. The prosecutor's office has filed a motion to transfer the case to adult court, he said.
Authorities allege the teen fired a 12-gauge shotgun in the attack Friday at a high school in West Liberty, 45 miles northwest of Columbus.
The Associated Press isn't naming the suspect because it generally doesn't identify juveniles charged with crimes.
A message was left Tuesday for the teen's attorney, Michael Pentecost. Pentecost told the Springfield News-Sun he can't discuss his client's mental condition or possible motives.
The suspect's sister told WHIO-TV that she didn't know his motives.
"I just want everyone to know that he's not a monster. You know? He made a mistake," she said.
She told the station that she never saw her brother, an athlete and an animal lover, as someone who would commit such an act.
Superintendent Kraig Hissong said he and his staff weren't aware of any warning signs before the shooting occurred.
Authorities have said heroic school staffers stopped the shooter and pinned him down until police arrived. Sixteen-year-old student Logan Cole was critically wounded in the shooting and has been in stable condition at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus.
Logan was moved out of the hospital's intensive care unit Saturday night, according to a Facebook post by his father, Ryan Cole. Doctors are evaluating whether to perform surgery to remove a shotgun pellet lodged in a chamber of his heart, Ryan Cole wrote Tuesday on Facebook.
A 17-year-old student also was struck but wasn't seriously hurt, Hissong said.
The West Liberty-Salem school district resumed classes Tuesday with grief counselors on hand after a morning prayer vigil for Logan, Hissong said.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
