16-year-old accused of shooting another student at NC school gets 4 years in prison
A 16-year-old boy accused of shooting his classmate last year at a North Carolina high school has been sentenced to at least four years in prison after he pleaded guilty to felony charges.
Chance Deablo, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to charges of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury and discharging a firearm on school property, the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office confirmed in a statement to McClatchy News.
On Monday, April 4, a judge sentenced him to between 48 and 70 months in prison, with credit for time served.
“I take no delight in sentencing, in this case a 16-year-old, 15 at the time, to a prison cell for at least the next four years,” District Attorney Ben David said after the hearing, according to WECT. “We tried to carefully balance the need to punish with looking at rehabilitation and we believe that today’s plea achieves both of those very difficult aims.”
One student was injured in the shooting that took place at New Hanover High School in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Aug. 30, 2021, McClatchy News previously reported.
Prosecutors said Deablo had been suspended a week before the shooting for fighting with another student, WECT reported. During his suspension, he was accused of texting another student that “s--- is going to be different when I get back.”
Deablo got into a fight on his first day back at school and fired three shots, which struck another student in the hand and leg, according to the TV station.
“This is a case that could’ve been so much worse,” David said, according to WECT. “This was not because of the mercy of the defendant but because of bad aim.”
Brian Moore, Deablo’s defense attorney, told the court this was a case of bullying, in which his client took “inappropriate” steps to defend himself with a gun, Port City Daily reported.
“This isn’t Columbine. This isn’t Sandy Hook,” Moore said, according to the newspaper. “This isn’t somebody walking in with a gun, and wearing a mask, and trying to shoot as many students as they can. That’s not what happened at all.”
As part of his sentence, the DA’s office said, Deablo should receive his GED and a psychological assessment. He was ordered not to return to the high school after his release, and he is also barred from making any contact with the victim.
Still, Deablo seemed optimistic about his future while in the courtroom.
“My life’s not over, and I want you to know that,” he said after his sentencing, Port City Daily reported. “I want everybody to know that. My life is not over.”
This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 5:28 PM with the headline "16-year-old accused of shooting another student at NC school gets 4 years in prison."
