Indiana Boy, 13, Who Shot Teacher and Girl During Class Showed 'No Remorse,' Says Judge
On Wednesday, an Indiana judge sent a 13-year-old boy to a maximum-security juvenile facility for shooting his teacher and a classmate in May, saying he didn’t believe the boy’s apology and that he’d shown “no remorse” for the classroom shooting.
Prosecutor Andre Mishka of the 24th Judicial Court tells PEOPLE the teen will be held in a correctional facility until he’s 18 or determined by the state’s Department of Correction to be rehabilitated. The teen will be on probation when released.
According to the Indianapolis Star, Judge Paul A. Felix said he hopes the shooter remains in a facility until he’s 18. “You went into school that day intending to kill many people, not just two. It shakes me to think that was your goal,” Felix told the teen, the paper reports.
According to the paper, prosecutor Brandi Pass said last week that authorities don’t have a firm motive for the May 25 shooting at Noblesville West Middle School, which took place during the boy’s science class.
“We still have no motive,” Pass said. “He did it because he wanted to take lives. He didn’t shoot [the victims] for a longstanding grudge. He did it because he likes to shoot people.”
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According to the Associated Press, the boy admitted to the crime and apologized in a written statement last week, which in the juvenile justice system equates to a guilty plea. But Felix said during his disposition, “I did not think it was sincere,” and added, “No remorse was shown last week.”
The boy’s attorney, Chris Eskew, tells PEOPLE he wanted the judge to send the boy to a private treatment facility, believing it would benefit his rehabilitation more than a juvenile facility.
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“We’re worried about his ability to grow and who he’s around, and who he’s influenced by,” says Eskew.
Addressing the judge’s claim that his client wasn’t sorry, Eskew says, “He does seem to lack emotion when he speaks. I understand how he comes across but I do believe he was remorseful for what he did.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, Mishka, the prosecutor, said, “The Prosecuting Attorney feels the disposition is appropriate given the current limitations of Indiana Law to adequately deal with an extremely troubling case of this nature.”
The teacher, Jason Seaman, was hailed as a hero after being shot while rushing the armed teen.
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“I want to make it clear that my actions on that day, in my mind, were the only acceptable actions I could have done given the circumstances,” Seaman said afterward. “I deeply care for my students and their well-being.”
According to the Star, Seaman still has two bullets lodged in his body. The other victim was a 13-year-old girl who was shot several times and remains unable to wash her hair or tie her shoes.
