Wyoming teen to be tried as an adult in planned shooting

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) - A Wyoming judge has ruled that a teenager should be tried as an adult after he was accused of bringing two guns to his junior high school in Gillette last year with plans to shoot nine people.

The boy, who was 14 at the time of his arrest in November 2018, has been charged with nine counts of attempted first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty, The Gillette News Record reported.

Wyoming law allows prosecutors to treat a juvenile 14 or older as an adult if the felony is violent.

Earlier this month, District Judge John Fenn denied a request by the boy's attorneys to move the case to juvenile court.

The boy's attorneys can appeal the decision.

T! he teen took two handguns and ammunition from his father's truck before getting on the school bus, according to testimony at his preliminary hearing.

He planned to open fire in a class where he didn't like the teacher and the students "constantly made jokes about him," according to an affidavit. He also planned to shoot "anyone who made him mad."

The boy was disarmed by the school principal after another student reported that the boy had the guns, officials said.