On Monday, August 30, gunshots rang out in a crowded hallway at New Hanover High School. One student was badly injured and another was arrested, charged with serious felonies, including attempted first-degree murder.
It's not clear yet if the young man will be charged as an adult — a decision that will be made during a special hearing in the near future. The outcome of that decision will, no doubt, have life-altering consequences.
In cases like this, the courts have a difficult balance to maintain. On the one hand, they have to take seriously the crimes being committed — and the victims to whom they do harm. But, at the same time, they must acknowledge that many children and young adults who enter the criminal justice system never truly find their way out.
