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West Jordan • Reporters will be allowed at future hearings for a 14-year-old boy who is accused of shooting another teen outside a Sandy middle school.

The boy is charged in 3rd District Juvenile Court with first-degree felony attempted murder and several weapons charges, accused of shooting a 16-year-old boy twice in the head on Oct. 25 outside of Union Middle School. The victim survived the shooting.

Defense attorneys for the 14-year-old had filed motions to close the courtroom to journalists for all proceedings, arguing that they were concerned about information about the boy's mental health and other sensitive information becoming public. But they withdrew their motion on Thursday after discussions with an attorney representing news outlets.

The media will be allowed at future hearings, including the teen's Dec. 1 initial appearance, but defense attorneys may ask the judge to close portions of future hearings that discuss the boy's sensitive information. Third District Juvenile Court Judge Tupakk Renteria will then hear arguments from the attorneys, review evidence and decide whether to close the courtroom.

Attorney Austin Riter, who represents the news outlets, said Thursday that legislators intended for these sorts of juvenile hearings to be public.

"[Lawmakers] worried that the public perception was that minors were getting a slap on the wrist for heinous crimes," he said. "And all those proceedings were conducted in secret."

State law allows reporters to be present in juvenile court proceedings if the accused is over the age of 14 and the charged crime is what would be a felony-level offense in adult court. The proceedings can be closed, however, if defense attorneys can show "good cause."

Prosecutors have said that they want the 14-year-old boy to face the charges in adult court. That decision will be made by Renteria after he hears evidence of the crime, background from the defendant's medical and psychological records, along with his family history.

The boy got the gun from his mother's closet, according to charging documents, and brought it to school on Oct. 25 because he and the older boy had decided to fight and he was afraid the older boy "would do something."

As the two boys met up on the lawn outside the school, the younger boy pulled out the gun and pulled the trigger, according to charging documents.

Charges say the 16-year-old boy was shot on the right side of his skull above the ear, with an exit wound on top of his head. He also was shot on the left side of his neck, a couple of inches behind his ear, with an exit wound in his left cheek.

The 14-year-old was arrested at the scene and taken to a juvenile-detention center, where he remains in custody.

Because he is a juvenile, police have not released the name of the injured boy. The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not identify juveniles charged with crimes unless they have been certified to stand trial in adult court.

jmiller@sltrib.com