Court date pushed back for West Liberty school shooting suspect

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A competency hearing for the 17-year-old suspect in the West Liberty-Salem High School shooting has been pushed back.

Ely Serna was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning but that hearing has been moved to April 7, the Champaign County Juvenile Court said in a statement.

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The new date was set at the agreement of counsel, Champaign County Prosecutor Kevin Talebi said, to allow for more hearing time.

The competency hearing is to determine whether Serna can understand court proceedings and if he will be able to assist in his own defense, the Springfield News-Sun previously reported.

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Serna has been accused of shooting two students and firing several shotgun shots in a restroom and hallway of West Liberty-Salem High School on Jan. 20.

He faces numerous charges, including two counts of attempted murder; three counts of felonious assault; six counts of improperly discharging a firearm; and single counts of inducing panic and illegal conveyance of a deadly weapon in a school, according to the county prosecutor’s office.

Prosecutors are seeking to try Serna as an adult.

He was taken into custody the morning of the shooting and has been held in a juvenile detention center since then.

Logan Cole was shot in the chest and back. He has returned to school part-time. His marked his 17th birthday last week.

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His father, Ryan Cole, wished him well on Facebook for his birthday.

“Your heart of compassion for others and kind hearted spirit is an example to me,” Ryan Cole said. “I could not be prouder of how you have allowed God to work through your life these past number of months.”

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