The 14-year-old who pleaded guilty to opening fire outside the National Zoo last year will be committed to the juvenile system until he turns 18, a D.C. judge ruled Monday.
The teen, whom NBC Washington is not naming because he is a minor, was arrested after allegedly shooting two other young people outside the zoo on Easter Monday, a day when the zoo was hosting a popular annual family event.
Late last month, prosecutors said they wanted the teen committed until he turns 21, but probation officials recommended he stay until age 18, reported News4's Derrick Ward.
The teen was charged as a juvenile, and pleaded guilty in June to seven charges, including assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a handgun, the Washington Post reported, from the April 21 incident outside the zoo.
D.C. police said shots rang out as a large group of 30 to 50 people was walking south on Connecticut Avenue. The suspect and victims are believed to be members of rival gangs, one from D.C. and another from Prince George's County.
The victims recovered from their injuries.
In court last month, the teen's parents said they wanted him to get help at home. The boy had been getting home treatment since 2011, but his mother said insurance ran out so he was unable to continue.
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However, the judge said the teen doesn't seem to respond well to community- or home-based treatment because he had been charged with previous unrelated crimes. He hadn't served any jail time in those cases.
In court in May, it was revealed he had been chronically absent from school, missing months of classes. Testimony revealed he had three suspensions for fights and threats, 35 unexcused absences and 108 excused absences.
