TJ Lane, suspected Chardon High School shooter, to be tried as an adult

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

TJ Lane

/ AP Photo/Mark Duncan

(CBS/AP) CHARDON, Ohio - TJ Lane will be tried as an adult in the Ohio high school shooting deaths of three students, a juvenile court judge ruled Thursday.

Pictures: 1 killed, 4 injured in Ohio high school shooting

Lane admitted firing at students sitting at a cafeteria table at Chardon High School east of Cleveland on Feb. 27, killing three and seriously wounding two others, authorities say.

The judge said he found probable evidence in all six charges against Lane, including aggravated murder counts. He rejected a defense request to release Lane on a $500,000 bond and said Lane would pose a risk to flee and a safety risk to the community.

Lane could face life in prison if he's convicted. Minors are not eligible for the death penalty in Ohio.

Had his case been routed to juvenile court, the maximum possible penalty would have kept him jailed until he turned 21.

Lane attended an alternative school for students who haven't done well in traditional schools; he had been at Chardon waiting for a bus.

Prosecutor David Joyce said Lane has admitted taking a .22-caliber pistol and a knife to the high school and firing 10 shots at a group of students sitting at a cafeteria table. The motive for the alleged shooting remains unclear, though Joyce apparently has ruled out theories involving bullying or drug dealing.

Complete coverage of the Chardon, Ohio school shooting on Crimesider