Boy Faces Up To 70 Years For Shootings

A 14-year-old boy accused of opening fire in a high school hallway could face as many as 70 years in prison if convicted on all charges filed against him Tuesday, a prosecutor said.

Quinshawn Booker faces six felony counts and a misdemeanor in Monday's shooting. During his 10-minute appearance today in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, he was ordered held until a preliminary hearing July 1.

Gunfire erupted about 10 a.m. Monday in a hallway outside Armstrong High School's main office as students took final exams on the next-to-last day of school. Witnesses said nine or 10 shots were fired. A teacher and a school volunteer were injured in the attack.

Commonwealth's Attorney David Hicks decided to charge Booker as an adult, and said the decision was "a very easy call."

"Every parent was a victim. The whole city was a victim," Hicks said.

Booker is charged with two counts of malicious wounding, two counts of using a firearm in a felony and other firearms counts.

Booker said nothing during the hearing. His mother stood at his side, her hands trembling, and she appeared to be fighting back tears. She went into the public defender's office after the hearing without speaking to reporters.

While the boy was in court, about 300 Armstrong High students returned for the last day of school, taking final exams amid heavy security before being dismissed for the summer. Many other students had already finished exams and were not required to be on hand today.

"Parents knew that today, Armstrong High School was going to be the safest place in Richmond," principal G.W. Bowser said at a news conference outside the school. "It looked like Fort Knox."

Basketball coach and history teacher Gregory Carter, 45, was in stable condition early today at Medical College of Virginia Hospitals, where he underwent surgery to remove a bullet from his abdomen.

Eloise Wilson, 74, a volunteer aide, suffered a flesh wound when a bullet grazed her right arm. She was treated at the hospital and released.

The shots were fired from a .32-caliber Llama semiautomatic handgun, said Deputy Police Chief Teresa Gooch. Several students were in the hallway at the time of the shooting, and investigators believe one of them not Carter or Ms. Wilson was the intended target, she said.

The shooting followed an argument earlier in the day between two groups of juveniles but was not gang-related, she said.

The gunman was chased down by a uniformed city police officer who was stationed at the school.

Written by Bill Baskervill
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