Detention hearing held for 15-year-old accused of shooting 2 students at Lamar High School
TARRANT COUNTY (CBSNewsTexas.com) – A detention hearing was held Tuesday afternoon for the 15-year-old accused of shooting two students at Lamar High School in Arlington.
The judge read aloud details from the police report, which said the boy was captured on surveillance video from two different angles, pulling a long gun out of a backpack and shooting toward a group of students just before 7 a.m. Monday.
According to police, a 16-year-old boy was shot in the neck and killed. Another student, a girl, was sitting on a bench nearby and was shot in the jaw. She survived.
In the report, police said the suspect ran from the scene, dropping the backpack with a weapon inside when he was confronted by officers.
The judge initially said he was "concerned" by "gaps" in the police narrative, questioning how officers identified the 15-year-old as the shooter.
The prosecutor said the boy's clothing matched the description of the shooter, and that shells found both at the scene and at the boys home matched those used in the crime.
There was a lot of emotion in the courtroom in the minutes before the hearing began, with one of the boy's female relatives leaving in tears at one point. The suspected shooter was also seen wiping his eyes and being consoled by his attorney.
The judge decided to detain the boy, citing the fact that a gun was used in the crime and the capital murder charge.
The next hearing for the suspect is in ten days.
In the meantime, a prayer vigil will be held at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at the Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Arlington. A mass for victims will also be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.