TJ Lane, the lone teenager who carried out the Chardon High School shooting in Ohio on Monday, will be tried as an adult, prosecutors told ABC News.
Lane, a thin 17-year-old who has been described by other students as “extremely quiet,” admitted to carrying out the shooting that killed three and injured two. Lane revealed to prosecutors that he chose his targets randomly .
“[Lane] confessed to taking the pistol and admitted he went into the cafeteria and shot 10 rounds,” prosecutor David Joyce is quoted as saying by the Christian Science Monitor. “”This is not about bullying. This is not about drugs. This is someone who is not well.”
Joyce added that that in addition to bringing a .22-caliber pistol, TJ Lane also took a knife into the school to carry out his massacre. The likely charges will be three counts of aggravated murder, plus others, the prosecution said.
Demetrius Hewlin and Russell Kind Jr were among two of Lane’s victims who were reported dead at MetroHealth Medical Center near Cleveland on Tuesday. Daniel Parmertor was the first to die just hours after the shooting Monday.
The two other shooting victims, Nick Walczak and Joy Rickers, still remain in the hospital. Walczack, 17, is said to be in critical condition, while an 18-year-old Rickers is expected to be released today.
ABC News reports that TJ Lane made his first appearance in juvenille court Tuesday and didn’t say anything apart from “Yes sir” when addressed by Judge Timothy Grendell. He will be held in detention during the proceedings.
Attorney Robert N. Farinacci, who is representing Lane, released a statement on behalf of the family Monday night, according to WEWS, calling the incident “something that could never have been predicted.”
“The family is devastated by this recent event. They want to express their most heartfelt and sincere condolences to the family of the young man who passed and their continuing prayers are with all those who were injured,” Farinacci wrote. “TJ’s family has asked for some privacy while they try to understand how such a tragedy could have occurred and while they mourn this terrible loss for their community.”
For more on TJ Lane and the Ohio High School shooting tragedy , watch the video below: