Why Murdered Teen's Family Is Backing His Alleged Killer, 16
Family of teen, Troyvonte Hurt, support his accused murderer.
— -- Dominique Coleman, 16, is being charged as an adult in Kentucky for allegedly shooting his 14-year-old friend, Troyvonte Hurt, to death.
But the defendant has some unexpected supporters -- the victim's family.
“We feel like he shouldn’t be charged,” Hurt's mother, LaNesha Harris, told ABC News affiliate WHAS outside court Monday, when Coleman was arraigned on his indictment. “I got a lot of hope that some type of way he gets off, like he's acquitted, no charges filed because really and truly I think the people that came through shooting should be the ones they are looking for,” Harris said.
Coleman is facing one count of capital murder, one count of tampering with physical evidence and one count of weapons possession in the August shooting and could face the death penalty if convicted, according to court documents.
According to police, the teenagers were on Clay and Jacob streets in Smoketown, a Louisville neighborhood, at 8:45 p.m. on Aug. 24, when a shooting began that resulted in Coleman's allegedly killing Hurt.
In a press conference, Lt. Todd Kessinger, of the Louiville Metro Police, described the chaotic scene leading up to the incident.
Kessinger said that a vehicle "fired multiple rounds at a crowd of people standing on the corner," according to WHAS.
"The people returned fire at the car as it was driving down the road. During the course of that, as they were returning fire, the victim was shot in the back of the head and killed by one of his friends, one of his known associates."
Kessinger said at the time investigators believed it was a gang shooting because it was in an area "known for gang activity," according to the affiliate. Is it unclear if Coleman was part of a gang.
WHAS reports the victim's family believes others who were on the scene with the two minors started shooting and are responsible for Hurt’s death.
The victim's grandfather, Henry Booker, was also in the courtroom Monday hoping to see Coleman’s charges dropped. During the hearing, Coleman pleaded not guilty.
“The boy’s a good boy. [Coleman’s] a good person regardless we know him and we know that everything that happened, happened so fast that he wasn't the one,” Booker said, according to WHAS.
If he's convicted, Coleman will be sentenced in the juvenile system until the age of 18, when he would be resentenced as an adult. Until that age, Coleman would remain in a juvenile detention facility, says Jefferson County Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney's spokesperson, Jeffrey Cooke.
Coleman is being held in lieu of $100,000 cash bail and is due in court on Jan. 4 for a bond hearing.
The victim’s family has started a mentorship program for other youths in the community called "Troyvonte’s Troopers." Booker says the group is meant “to help the kids and show them a different way,” apart from gun violence.
Darlene Campbell, at Bates Memorial Baptist Church in Louisville, tells ABC News the group, started by Booker in memory of his grandson, is meant to “educate kids and keep them off the streets.”
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