2 juveniles arrested in deadly Louisville bus stop shooting, Tyree Smith's mom says
Two juveniles have been arrested in the September bus stop shooting that left an Eastern High School student dead, the teen's mother says.
Louisville Metro Police notified Sherita Smith, the mother of Tyree Smith, of the arrests Wednesday, she told The Courier Journal. Her son died after the shooting at West Chestnut and Dr. W.J. Hodge streets, and two other teens were injured.
Spokespersons for LMPD did not immediately return phone calls or emails Wednesday afternoon seeking comment. In a statement to The Courier Journal, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Emily Lantz said the case "is still very preliminary in terms of moving through the judicial system."
UPDATE: JCPS students charged in fatal bus stop shooting of Tyree Smith
Related: At Tyree Smith's funeral, loved ones honor Louisville boy killed in bus stop shooting
"We are still very early in the process to see if the juveniles who were arrested are going to be tried as adults, and it is not entirely our decision," Lantz said, noting that the process of moving to try a juvenile as an adult is a multi-step process involving the County Attorney's Office, juvenile court and a grand jury.
In Kentucky, a teen who is at least 14 and has been charged with a capital offense or a Class A or B felony can be tried in adult court. Multiple factors are considered when deciding whether to make the transfer, per state law, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled previously juveniles cannot face the death penalty.
The age of the youths arrested was not immediately known, and Sherita Smith said Wednesday she did not have more information on the suspects who were arrested.
She added she and her family are grateful for the support they've received from the community, including from local leaders, "all the detectives on the case" and those who knew her son.
"I am thankful that the suspects are caught and not only do they need to be held accountable for their actions but their parents need to held accountable for their kids' actions especially when a human life was taken," she said in a text message.
Read more: Neighbors who witnessed Tyree Smith's shooting at bus stop searching for ways to heal
Tyree, 16, was waiting for his school bus in the Russell neighborhood on the morning of Sept. 22 when a drive-by shooting occurred, police said at the time. He died at a hospital, and a 13-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl were also hurt.
The incident left the community reeling amid another record-setting year for homicides in Louisville.
Of the more than 170 homicide victims so far in 2021, at least 22 were 17 years old or younger, according to LMPD data. And six homicide suspects — almost 9% of those identified by police — were age 17 or under, LMPD data shows.
Community groups announced everything from monetary rewards for information to plans to send men to protect bus stops in the wake of the shooting.
Jefferson County Public Schools officials knew shots had been fired near the bus stop two weeks before the fatal shooting of Tyree, a previous Courier Journal report found. Following Tyree's death, JCPS permanently moved the bus stop, district spokesman Mark Hebert said at the time.
Comments made by LMPD Chief Erika Shields in the aftermath of the shooting also sparked a renewed debate over whether there should be school resource officers in JCPS.
Courier Journal reporters Billy Kobin, Tessa Duvall and Olivia Krauth contributed to this story.
Mary Ramsey is a breaking news reporter for The Courier Journal. Reach her at mramsey@gannett.com, and follow her on Twitter @mcolleen1996. Support strong local journalism in our community by subscribing to The Courier Journal today.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Tyree Smith case: 2 arrested in Louisville bus stop shooting, mom says
