MADISON, Ala. (AP) — Both a 14-year-old boy who was shot to death at a north Alabama middle school and a classmate accused in his killing were trying to join a gang, police said Tuesday.
Police Chief Larry Muncey said shooting victim Todd Brown and a fellow ninth-grader charged with murder in the slaying were part of a group of fewer than 10 students from Discovery Middle School who had attempted to join a gang.
“They went online and learned how to walk, how to talk and how to dress,” Muncey said at a news conference. It wasn’t immediately clear what role the gang activity may have played in the slaying.
Brown was fatally shot in a hall at the school on Friday. Bruce Gardner, a lawyer for the student charged in the shooting, said both boys considered themselves to be members of the Crips.
Muncey said the parents of all the students who were involved with the group were brought in and told of their children’s membership.
“(The students) thought it was cool, but when their parents came in, I don’t think they thought it was cool anymore,” Muncey said.
A hearing is set for next week to determine whether the youth charged in the killing will be tried as an adult. He remains in a juvenile detention center.
