Prosecutors have officially charged 17-year-old T.J. Lane in the shooting rampage at an Ohio high school.
The charges — three counts of aggravated murder, two counts of aggravated attempted murder and one count of felonious assault — were filed in juvenile court, but the AP adds that this could be the first step toward charging him as an adult.
A hearing is set next week in Geauga County to determine whether he'll be charged as an adult.
The AP reports:
"Children convicted of juvenile crimes in Ohio are typically behind bars only until they turn 21 in the most serious cases. But prosecutor David Joyce has already said he plans to charge Lane as an adult, meaning he could face life in prison without parole if convicted of similar adult charges.
"Minors are not eligible for the death penalty in Ohio, whether they are convicted as juveniles or adults. Lane, who attends an alternative school for students who haven't done well in traditional schools, admitted taking a .22-caliber pistol and a knife to Chardon High and firing 10 shots at a group of students sitting at a cafeteria table Monday morning, Joyce said."
Students returned to Geauga High School for the first time today. Video posted by the AP showed tearful students walking into the school hand-in-hand:
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