Magruder Shooter Sentenced 18 years
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
He was repeatedly in fights with the victim who came to the bathroom specifically to fight. Of course he should be punished! But within reason. Imagine going straight from your junior year in high school to being almost 40 in jail. Every single thing you have done since you were at the prom didn’t happen. |
Anonymous
Two MCPS teachers testified in support of the shooter. |
Anonymous
|
I also think that’s pretty severe and I’m not generally soft or crime. The other student was apparently threatening him and it’s not at all clear he intended to fire the gun — the victim pushed the gun away which may have caused it to go off. He then did not threaten or shoot anyone else, and voluntarily surrendered.
It was a really stupid and bad thing to do, but there are rapists and people who intentionally shoot others in robberies and such that don’t get that. |
Anonymous
| I am sure this is an unpopular opinion but I feel the sentence was extreme and inappropriate. I feel for the victim but the shooter was 17. He was not an adult. He is not a repeat violent offender. This is way too harsh of sentence. 18 years, makes me sick. We are fine wasting this child’s life? He didn’t break into a house and stab 4 people to death or aim an assault weapon at random classmates. He made an awful mistake and the victim is recovering. Tragedy all around. |
Anonymous
Link? |
Anonymous
|
This is amazing. The first in school shooting. A child brought a gun to school and SHOT another child.
This is mcps , a district which prides itself on antibullying. A system that preaches restorative justice. A place where bullying reports are a thing. A system that offers COSAs. If the shooter was being bullied, he had every opportunity to use the proper channels and do something about it. Yet he chose to obtain a murder weapon, bring it into the school building where he shot another child. And people feel his sentence was too harsh!?!? We likely have one of the most robust antibullying systems in the country. If this doesn't work I suppose it's fine for any kid who's being taunted at school to come back and shot kids up and walk away in 5 yeard |
Anonymous
Different poster here. Magruder parent. He has a 79 IQ, which is almost developmentally disabled. I don't think he should have been charged as an adult. But McCarthy was going to make an example out of him as the first ever school shooter in Montgomery County, during an election year. Yes, it has been reported that he was bullied badly by kids at the school. Including Dre. THAT DOES NOT EXCUSE SHOOTING HIM. Kids do really stupid things. There is heartache enough for both the boys. It's such a horrifically sad situation. A larger question is what the hell is MCPS doing about kids the size of grown men bullying one another? These are all vicious cycles and they are happening right under our noses. Jailyn Jones, for example. Killed by a fellow Northwest classmate. We need to wake up. |
Anonymous
|
Please start reading My MC Media. I know it's government media but it has some of the best reporting around.
https://www.mymcmedia.org/magruder-school-shooter-sentenced-to-18-years-for-assaulting-classmate/ During an emotion 90-minute courtroom hearing, Thomas’ mother talked about the pain her son and her entire family continue to endure. Two Magruder teachers described Alston’s learning and cognitive disabilities, and Alston’s attorney read a statement written by the now-18-year-old, who has been in prison since the shooting. “First, I want to say I’m sorry,” attorney David Felson read from a statement written by Alston. Felson said that the teenager was too nervous to read it himself. “I hope Deandre and his family can understand and forgive me,” he wrote. “I was frightened and didn’t know what to do.” He added, “I was lost,” and made “a bad decision.” He also apologized to the school and his mother, who sat quietly in the courtroom throughout the proceedings. ... He said Alston felt bullied and scared. “It is fairly clear that Steven was bullied, harassed and terrorized” at Magruder. Students even came to his home at home point and only left when Alston’s mother threatened to call the police. All this “left Steven in an impossible situation,” Felson said. “We know the victim wanted to kick Steven’s ass,” he said, adding, “None of this justifies Steven’s actions.” But Alexander Bush, the Thomas family attorney, said it was “disgusting” to make it seem that Thomas was responsible for all the bullying and problems Alston was having and that the defense was attempting to blame the victim. Resource teacher Stephanie Williams called Alston a quiet, polite student. He was “very sweet, kind, responsible.” His 11th grade world history teacher, Chris Gamble, said Alston had “academic difficulties” and said very little. He described Alston as respectful and motivated to pass his class. |
Anonymous
|
Well-heeled rhe elephant innthe room.
MCPS does NOT care about special need kids. A child with an iq of 79 should NEVER be at school with the general population. But McKnight, et al, would rather spend 1.5 million so you know if Larlos bus is 2 minutes late than to address the needs of special needs students. I would love to see how many seriously bullied kids are SN kids. The child who was murdered innthe woods in Germantown seemed to have special needs, too, according to his mother. Where is the investigative reporting on this? How many special needs children are being violently bullied and intimidated at school? Why won't MCPS do better? Special needs students should be protected. |
Anonymous
That information does change my opinion. I had not seen this reported anywhere. But it's also scary to think a developmentally delayed student can order and assemble a ghost gun. |
Anonymous
|
One special needs student from magruder had to bring a gun to school to protect himself after mcps failed to do so. He will now spend as much of his life in jail as he did outside of jail.
Another special needs student from northwest left dead in the woods after his mom begged them to change his school assignment. How many special needs students is MCPS going to sacrifice before they wake up? |
Anonymous
|
Mcps has all sorts of programs and initiatives geared towards understanding and accepting different genders, cultures and so forth but not one to understand special needs kids. They were left out of me too, blm, love is love and every other movement.
Shameful. |
Anonymous
Lol, he wasn’t in HIS class. He ducked into a random classroom when the teachers swept the hallways. |
Anonymous
I don’t think you have every known anyone with a 79 IQ if you think they can’t be in the same school as students with average intelligence. |
Anonymous
You seem to think students with special needs are a monolithic group that stands apart from everyone else in every context. You’re wrong. Our magnets have twice exceptional students who are both gifted and have SN. There are students with IEPs involved in clubs like GSA and MSP. Sometimes, they are even the leaders of these organizations. |