Metropolitan Police Department (DC Police / MPD)

Teen Who Pleaded Guilty in National Zoo to Be Committed to School-Based Juvenile Facility

The 14-year-old who pleaded guilty to opening fire outside the National Zoo will be committed to a school-based juvenile facility, a judge determined during a hearing Friday.

The length of his time there, however, is yet to be determined.

Prosecutors want him committed to the facility until he turns 21, but the Department of Youth Services recommended he stay until age 18, reported News4's Derrick Ward.

NBC Washington is not naming the teen because he is a juvenile.

Authorities say the teen shot two other young people outside the zoo on Easter Monday, when the zoo was hosting a popular annual family event.

D.C. police said a large group of 30 to 50 people was traveling southbound on Connecticut Avenue when shots rang out. 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.

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.

In court Friday, his parents said he should 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 the appropriate treatment.

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.

Since the April 21 shooting, the teen has been held in a juvenile detention facility.

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.

Contact Us