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Fifteen Year Old Charged In School Shooting
Click to view Ryn's profile Posted by: Ryn // 3 months ago // viewed 143 times
Knoxville, Tennessee // embed media
Last updated: 3 months ago
Knoxville Police say that Jamar Siler, 15, has been charged with one count of first degree murder. He is the suspect in the Central High School shooting, in Knoxville Tennessee.

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- A teen student died Thursday morning after he was shot at Central High School on Jacksboro Pike shortly before school started. Another teen boy is charged with his murder.
The Knox County School System, police department and sheriff's office are holding a joint news conference on the shooting at 5:00 p.m. at the Andrew Johnson building downtown.
Suspect
The teen shooting suspect is Jamar B. Siler, 15. He was taken into custody six minutes after the incident at 8:17 as he was walking three blocks away on Doughty Drive and a gun was taken from him. A sheriff's deputy spotted him.
Siler is charged with charged with first degree murder and violating his probation. He was on probation for an incident on March 31.
Siler was held at the police department and then transferred to the juvenile detention facility.
Police haven't said what type of gun they recovered or what they think the motive was.
Investigators questioned some of the students who witnessed the shooting Thursday afternoon at the police department.
Public defender Mark Stephens has been appointed to represent Siler. Stephens also represents Jim Adkisson, the suspect in the deadly July shooting at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.
The defense doesn't know yet if they'll ask for a mental evaluation.
The prosecution has 10 days to file a motion to try Siler as an adult.
Victim *
Ryan McDonald, 15, was taken to UT Medical Center where he died. Police say they received confirmation of his death at 8:57.
A vigil will be held for McDonald at 8:30 Thursday night at 1215 Delaware Avenue, where he lived with his grandmother.
Shooting details
Police say one shot was fired at 8:11 a.m. in the cafeteria. The victim and suspect knew each other and had a previous argument. Police describe the shooting as "not being random."
Officers reached the school two minutes after the shooting. They first received word from a sheriff's officer whose daughter is a student at Central High. She contacted her father, who alerted other authorities.
Some students were eating breakfast in the cafeteria when the shooting happened. It's a place where students gather before classes start.
A student who was in the cafeteria told 6 News he heard what sounded like a thump or a pop and didn't realize there had been a shooting. He said some students rushed to help the victim.
Another student said some people were running and screaming right after the shooting and staff members directed them to go to classrooms and stay there.
Police are reviewing video from the school security cameras.
Superintendent Jim McIntyre extended his condolences to everyone affected by the shooting, which he calls a "terrible tragedy" and an "isolated incident."

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