Sentenced to 35 years in prison for a school sh00ting that shocked the community… the teenager at the center of the tragedy finally spoke in court — and his words left many people silent
Common Pleas Judge Jaime Hickton imposed the sentence on Perry, now 19, after he pleaded guilty (Image: Allegheny County)
Jaymier Perry, the teen who admitted gunning down 15-year-old Derrick Harris Jr. outside a Pittsburgh special education school over a pair of headphones, was sentenced on Wednesday to 35 years to life in state prison.
Common Pleas Judge Jaime Hickton imposed the sentence on Perry, now 19, after he pleaded guilty in June to first-degree murder. While that conviction carries an automatic sentence of life without parole for adults, Perry was 15 at the time of the killing, making the mandatory minimum 35 years.
“I view this case as multiple systems failures over years,” Hickton told Perry in court. “That does not excuse the choices you made, but there is so much tragedy on both sides.”
As the hearing ended, the judge urged him to take advantage of prison programming, telling him, “You still have the ability to grow and to learn and do everything you can to become the best version of yourself,” according to Law and Crime.
The shooting happened on May 24, 2023, at Oliver Citywide Academy in Pittsburgh’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. The school serves about 100 students in grades three through 12.
Police said Perry arrived that morning carrying his mother’s 9mm handgun. Around 7:25 a.m., the city’s ShotSpotter gunfire detection system recorded two shots, followed by nine more.
Officers found Derrick had been shot 10 times. Surveillance video captured the attack, showing Perry approach Derrick on the steps. After the initial shots, Perry walked up to the wounded teen and kicked and stomped on his head, police said. He was arrested a short time later, still carrying the weapon.
Derrick Harris Jr. was 15 years old when he was shot (Image: GoFundMe)
During an interview with detectives, Perry told investigators that he killed Derrick because Derrick had taken his Beats headphones two days earlier.
Derrick’s mother, Erin Krall, described her son’s death as a devastating, permanent loss. In her victim impact statement, read by Derrick’s sister Kyla Harris, Krall recalled the last words she said to her son before he left for school.
“I love you. Have a great day, and I’ll see you when you get home,” she said. He never did.
“The fact he died the way he did makes me sick,” Krall wrote.
Krall said she was watching the news at their Garfield home when she heard reports of a shooting at Oliver. She and her other children called Derrick’s phone repeatedly, but he never answered. About 20 minutes later, someone from the school called and said they believed, “by the process of elimination,” that Derrick had been shot. He was taken to Allegheny General Hospital, where he died.
Krall described Derrick as loving and funny, and shared small memories that now feel unbearable, including him leaping over the banister in their home to dive onto the couch. The day before he was killed, she said, he texted her a picture of red tennis shoes he wanted for his 16th birthday the following week.
“He defined me,” Krall wrote. She told the court she moved into her son’s room, sleeps with his blanket, and will never get rid of his clothes. She also criticized the school, saying families were told there would be escorts to walk students into the building from drop-offs.
“That did not happen,” she wrote. “Gun violence is so frightening.”
Perry’s mother, Jessica Bocsy, apologized to Derrick’s family in court. “I cannot begin to imagine the pain they endure and now have to live with every day,” she said. “I’m not here to make excuses. What happened was wrong, and I know my son must face the consequences.”
Perry also apologized, reading from a prepared statement.
“I take full responsibility for what I did,” he said, adding, “I do not expect forgiveness. I’m sorry.”
SOURCE: DAILY EXPRESS
https://www.the-express.com/news/us-news/213038/teen-shot-classmate-until-gun-empty-beats-headphones
