Magruder HS shooter sentenced to 40 years in prison
WASHINGTON - 18-year-old Steven Alston Jr. was sentenced Thursday to 40 years in prison for shooting another student at Magruder High School.
On January 21, 2021, then 17-year-old Steven Alston Jr. allegedly shot fellow student DeAndre Thomas in the school's bathroom during a fight. Thomas barely survived, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of Thomas' family. The lawsuit accuses Montgomery County leaders of negligence in removing school resource officers during a time of "significantly increased violence."
Following the shooting, Thomas was rushed to Suburban Hospital with a bullet still lodged in his side, according to attorneys, who also said that the bullet shattered his left pelvis and destroyed part of his lower intestine.
Judge accepts Magruder HS shooter plea deal
A Montgomery County judge accepted a plea deal Monday from Steven Alston Jr. for the shooting at Magruder High School in January. Alston pleaded guilty to an attempted first-degree murder charge, which is a life sentence in Maryland. Part of the agreement included capping the sentencing at 15-25 years.
Alston entered a plea deal and pleaded guilty to an attempted first-degree murder charge in November. In Maryland, that kind of charge is a life sentence. Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge David A. Boynton accepted Alston Jr.’s guilty plea and part of the agreement included capping the sentencing at 15-25 years.
On Thursday, Alston was sentenced to 40 years, with all but 18 years suspended.