Judge denies bond for Bowie High School student charged in Senior Skip Day shooting
GREENBELT, Md. - Bond has been denied for a teen suspect arrested in connection to a Greenbelt park shooting that injured five teenagers.
On Tuesday, Judge Patrice Lewis denied bond for a 16-year-old suspect who is currently facing multiple counts of attempted first-degree murder. Police announced this week that he and a 14-year-old suspect have been arrested for opening fire at a group of about 500 people on April 19, during an unsanctioned Senior Skip Day event at Schrom Hills Park.
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said she agreed with the decision Tuesday by Judge Lewis.
"The actions that happened on that day should have never happened," Braveboy said after the hearing Tuesday. "They were completely outrageous. This could have ended in tragedy. People could have actually died. Two of the five injured students were seriously injured and had to stay in the hospital multiple days. So, this was a very serious, very violent crime."
According to Braveboy, Maryland law states that juvenile suspects who are at least 14 years old are automatically charged as adults if they’ve been charged with a crime punishable by life imprisonment. However, cases can be transferred back to juvenile court.
Teens, 14, 16, arrested in connection with Senior Skip Day shooting in Greenbelt
Authorities have arrested two Bowie High School students — a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old — in connection with the mass shooting that took place during a Senior Skip Day event in Greenbelt.
In court Tuesday, an attorney representing the 16-year-old argued a less restrictive means of detention would suffice for now, given his age and lack of flight risk. Judge Lewis ultimately sided with prosecutors, who noted this was a matter of public safety. The teens who were shot were seemingly shot at random, prosecutors say.
Jonathan Naylor, a chief with the Major Crimes Unit at the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, said the 16-year-old was removed once from Bowie High School after the shooting. The teenage suspect was also allegedly confronted about the shooting, which indicated his safety was potentially in question.
"When there are shootings, there are a lot of things that go into them. We don’t have all of the details yet. We have to do some more investigating. That’s it. We don’t know if he’s at risk or not," Naylor said Tuesday afternoon.
Witness describes chaos of Senior Skip Day shooting in Greenbelt that left 5 teens injured
FOX 5 is following the investigation into a shooting during a senior skip day gathering at Greenbelt’s Schrom Hill Park in Prince George’s County.
The 16-year-old was ultimately ordered to be held without bond, though prosecutors agreed with the suspect’s attorney that he could be held in a juvenile facility for the time being.
"This, to us … looks like a random act of violence at this time. That is very concerning to the public. Even if it were a more targeted act, that’s still very concerning that we have a 16-year-old and a 14-year-old with guns shooting at other young people in the crowd. That is very concerning to us all," Braveboy said.
The 14-year-old suspect, who also attends Bowie High School, has not appeared in court yet. Prosecutors said the hearing could be as early as Wednesday, though a date has not been confirmed as of this writing.
2 Bowie High School students arrested for Senior Skip Day shooting in Greenbelt
Police arrested two teens, aged 14 and 16, in connection with the senior skip day shooting that left five people injured in Greenbelt. Police say the teenage suspects are both Bowie High School students. FOX 5's Nana-Sentuo Bonsu has the story.