Teenager Charged as Adult in Pennsylvania School Shooting
Raisheem Rochwell was charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment.
Jan. 19, 2014— -- A 17-year-old teenager has been charged as an adult in the shooting of two students in the gymnasium of a Philadelphia high school.
Raisheem Rochwell turned himself in for arrest Saturday and was charged by Philadelphia police with aggravated assault, weapons possession and other offenses. Bail was set at $500,000.
Police took another teenager in for questioning Friday night but he was released without being charged.
Rochwell’s lawyer Amato Samita told ABCNews.com that Rochwell has “never been in any kind of trouble before. This is the first time he’s seen a prison."
While Samita said it was too early to say how the teenager would plead, citing a preliminary hearing next week, he said Rochwell is not the person who would ultimately be found at fault for the shooting.
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“It’s pretty clear from all the investigation done by all parties that nothing was done in a malicious manner,” said Samita. “No evidence anything was done intentionally.”
The shooting occurred at the Delaware Valley Charter School in Philadelphia around 3:30 in the afternoon. An 18-year-old student was injured when she was shot in her arm. Another male student was hit with the same bullet in his shoulder.
Both students were taken to a local medical center and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The school was placed on lock down after the shooting and SWAT teams combed the building. According to the Associated Press, police used surveillance footage to identify the suspects who ran away after the shooting.
The Delaware Valley Charter School issued a statement after the shooting saying that they were working with the Philadelphia police department to “ensure that all safety measures are addressed.”
The school is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with heightened security.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
