Background: Law enforcement officers investigate after a shooting takes place outside Oliver Citywide Academy in Pittsburgh, Pa., on May 24, 2023 (WTAE/YouTube). Inset top: Jaymier Perry (Allegheny County Jail). Inset bottom: Derrick Harris Jr. (GoFundMe).
A Pennsylvania teenager who gunned down a classmate on their school steps because he said the victim had taken his Beats headphones will spend decades behind bars.
Jaymier Perry was 15 years old when he was charged with the murder of Derrick Harris Jr., who was also 15, as Law&Crime previously reported.
The defendant was ordered by a judge on Wednesday to serve 35 years to life in state prison after he pleaded guilty last month to first-degree murder, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Because he was 15 years old at the time of the crime, Perry avoided the mandatory penalty of life without parole.
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On May 24, 2023, the Pittsburgh Police Department was alerted to a shooting at Oliver Citywide Academy, which has since been effectively closed due to multiple violent incidents. The public school in Pittsburgh was designed for students requiring special education.
The law enforcement agency said its technology recorded 11 shots, and when officers arrived, they found Harris “shot multiple times” outside the school’s front entrance. Other cops said they spotted another person — Perry — running from the scene with a gun, and they arrested him and seized the weapon.
Emergency personnel cared for Harris before transporting him in critical condition to a local hospital. It was there that he was pronounced dead.
When investigators interviewed Perry, he appeared to give them a motive. He said that, two days before, Harris had stolen his Beats headphones.
Perry reportedly said he and Harris were often the first students to arrive at the school, and on the morning of the shooting, he approached Harris on the school steps.
Allegheny County Deputy District Attorney Ryan Kiray recounted how Perry shot Harris “until the gun was empty” — hitting him 10 times. Surveillance footage showed the defendant then approach Harris on the ground before kicking and stomping on his head and running away.
When detectives asked Perry why he continued the attack after the shooting, he told them, “‘If you’re going to shoot someone, you may as well finish the job,’ before laughing about the shooting,” according to Kiray.
Perry’s history, as told by his defense attorney, included that he was nonverbal until he was 4 years old, he had significant developmental delays, and when he was young, his 9-year-old sister died.
Following his arrest, he was reportedly ruled incompetent to stand trial for three years. He has made progress since then, his attorney said.
Perry also addressed Harris’ mother during his sentencing hearing. “I know my actions hurt you deeply,” he said, adding, “I take full responsibility for what I did. I am not trying to make excuses. I know my actions hurt your whole family.” He also apologized to his own mother.
“Derrick was a victim of teen gun violence and was tragically shot by another student, while walking into school on May 24th, 2023,” a GoFundMe set up for the victim states. “Derrick was a kindhearted, loving son and brother. He loved playing video games and sports with his friends. His smile and sense of humor brought so much love and light to those who love him.”
The post Teen shot classmate on campus steps ‘until the gun was empty,’ then told cops ‘if you’re going to shoot someone, you may as well finish the job’ first appeared on Law & Crime.
