Second teenager charged in connection to Rotella Park fatal shooting
1 juvenile killed, another injured in the Oct. 12 shooting. Now, two teens have been arrested.
A week after a boy under the age of 13 was charged with first-degree murder, a second juvenile has been charged.
The first juvenile was officially charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, possession of a handgun by a juvenile and a sentence enhancer on Oct. 18 in connection to the Oct. 12 murder of a 15-year-old boy at Rotella Park. It’s located near a community of apartment complexes in the Welby/Coronado neighborhood just south of Thornton.
Now, due to new evidence, the original charges against the boy have been dropped, reducing his charges to just one count of possession of a handgun by a juvenile, according to a news release by the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
A second boy has now officially been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and other charges in connection to the shooting.
The shooting occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 12, which was a Saturday night.
Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies found two juveniles suffering from gunshot wounds at the park. One of the juveniles, a 15-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the neck, was pronounced deceased despite life-saving measures by responders.
The first boy was arrested on Oct. 16 on suspicion of murder, but, as noted, new evidence pointed toward the second suspect as the shooter.
The first boy will not be tried as an adult due to his age and charge. The district attorney’s office has charged the second suspect with murder in juvenile court and has not decided whether or not to move it to adult court yet, according to a DA’s spokesperson.
