COLUMBUS, Ohio — A juvenile who was charged with fatally shooting a 15-year-old boy at Easton Town Center last year was sentenced to youth prison.
The now 14-year-old who was named a suspect in the shooting on Aug. 27 was sentenced for involuntary manslaughter with a firearm specification. He was also classified as a serious youthful offender.
The Franklin County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney confirmed that the teen will serve three years in the custody of the Ohio Department of Youth Services. He could be held there until age 21.
He had to undergo a competency hearing last year after a judge said he was not grasping the magnitude of the case. The state asked the teen to be held in juvenile detention for the public’s safety and for the teen’s own safety. The defense did not object.
What happened
Officers with the Columbus Division of Police were called to Easton Town Center on a report that someone was shot in front of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. Police said that an officer responded to the area within one minute and began performing CPR on the victim, later identified as Ra’Shawyn Carter.
Carter was taken to Mount Carmel Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
While police did not provide details on what led to the shooting, a spokesperson with Easton told 10TV last year that the isolated incident stemmed from an argument and confrontation.
Multiple juveniles were detained at the scene, but detectives determined charges against two of them. The juvenile sentenced this week was charged with a count of murder and tampering with evidence, but as part of a plea agreement, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. The other teen, who was also 13 years old at the time of the shooting, was charged with obstructing justice.
Police say more than one gun was reportedly recovered from the scene.
