Prosecutors have filed dozens of new charges against a 15-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting a classmate and wounding three others at his high school south of Spokane.
Caleb Sharpe already has been charged with first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder in the September 13th shooting at Freeman High School near Rockford – he previously pleaded not guilty.
Spokane County prosecutors on Wednesday upgraded the murder charge to premeditated murder and added 51 counts of assault, representing other students in the vicinity of the gunfire. Sharpe also appeared in court for the first time, where a judge said a decision on whether to try the teen as an adult will not occur until next year. The judge set an April 2nd date for a weeklong hearing, saying the case was too complex to hold it within 14 days as required by law.
Sharpe’s defense attorney agreed with the delay, though his client will remain in custody. (AP)
