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DA moves to charge 17-year-old as adult in Morgan Hill mass shooting
The Santa Clara County DA's office is recommending that the 17-year-old charged with a Morgan Hill mass shooting be charged as an adult.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Santa Clara County District Attorney is hoping to charge a 17-year-old allegedly behind a Morgan Hill mass shooting at an unauthorized birthday party this summer as an adult – meaning that a maximum sentence could be life behind bars instead of seven years if he remains in juvenile court.
Adult vs. juvenile court
What they're saying:
Speaking after the teen's first court hearing in juvenile court on Monday, Alexander Adams, supervisor for the juvenile court, told reporters that the crimes the teen allegedly perpetrated on July 25 were "extremely serious and very, very dangerous to the public."
His office charged the teen with seven felonies: One count of murder and six counts of attempted murder.
The judge decided to keep the teen in custody at least until his next court hearing on Sept. 23. That's also when Adams will formally file a "notice of transfer," asking for the case to be tried in adult court.
"When you make an adult decision like spraying bullets into a crowd of people that’s a case that justifies adult sentencing and adult time," Adams said.
Morgan Hill shooting victim identified
The victim killed in a mass shooting at a Morgan Hill party over the weekend has been identified by loved ones as authorities continue searching for the person or people responsible.
Too early to tell
The other side:
Speaking outside court, the teen's defense attorney, Miles Harris, told KTVU that it's very early in the process to determine what will happen in the case.
"Don't put too much faith in statements made by people with their own self-interest at heart," Harris said.
Birthday bash
What we don't know:
The teen was arrested in Salinas last week stemming from a pop-up birthday bash for a Twitch streamer in unincorporated Morgan Hill that had been promoted on social media.
During the party, gunfire erupted, and one person – later identified as Desiderio "Desi" Romero V aka "Pepper" – was killed. Six others were injured.
Deputies said more than 300 people attended the unsanctioned party.
A motive for the shooting has not been publicly revealed.
And it wasn't immediately clear if the teen knew the people he allegedly shot.
The Source: The information for this story came from the DA, the defense attorney and prior KTVU reporting.