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Farmington • A 15-year-old boy who admitted firing a shotgun into a classroom ceiling at his Bountiful junior high in December before his parents wrestled him to the floor was sentenced Thursday to spend time in a secure juvenile treatment facility.
Because the case was resolved in the juvenile court, it was the maximum sentence 2nd District Juvenile Court Judge Janice Frost could impose.
The length of time the teen remains in the custody of Juvenile Justice Services will be determined by the Youth Parole Authority. He could be held until he is 21 years old but defense attorney Lindsay Jarvis said outside court that she thinks he will be released in less than a year.
"It's a good resolution," Jarvis said.
The teen pleaded guilty on Feb. 13 to third-degree felony shooting toward a building and second-degree felony theft of a firearm. Several other firearms-related charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal.
Jarvis said the teen had been prescribed the antidepressant Prozac a few weeks before the Dec. 1 incident and the medication influenced his actions. She maintained that the boy — who she said had turmoil in his life — did not intend to hurt anyone but instead wanted to end his pain, possibly by being shot by police.
Supporters of the boy who spoke at the sentencing hearing, including a few of his classmates, described him as a good kid and a good friend.
"I know that he would never hurt anyone," a teenage friend said. "I know that he just needed help at the time."
But Deputy Davis County Attorney Ryan Perkins disputed that the boy did not want to hurt anyone, saying there had been a prior incident when the family was living in Vernal. He did not give details about what happened.
And Ranae Hart, a victim advocate for the Davis County Attorney's Office, said the 15-year-old's actions had affected the entire school and the community. Some have asked that the boy not be allowed back in school, she said, and some students who were in the classroom needed counseling.
"This has been terrifying for them," Hart said.
Jarvis said the boy's parents agree that he should not go back to the Davis School District. His father said at the sentencing the incident was completely out of character for his son.
According to charging documents, the boy took a 12-gauge shotgun and a 9mm handgun from his home on Dec. 1 without his parents' permission and brought the guns inside Mueller Park Junior High School.
After firing a shotgun blast inside a classroom, he was apprehended by his parents.
Bountiful Police Chief Tom Ross has said the parents went to the school looking for their son after they noticed the guns were missing.
They were inside the school when they heard the shotgun blast, according to police. The parents then went to the south wing of the school where the shot was fired, and disarmed and detained the teen, Ross said.
There were 26 students and a teacher in the classroom where the gun was fired, according to Ross. He has said that after firing a round, the boy pointed the gun toward his neck.
The Tribune generally does not identify juveniles charged with crimes unless they are certified to stand trial in adult court.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC