A disposition date has not been set in the case. Lockhart-Williams said the purpose of juvenile court is rehabilitation and the court has several options it can choose from when sentencing him. The defendant was not charged as an adult and therefore the Springfield News-Sun is not naming him.
The teen was originally charged with attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault.
The defendant’s legal troubles began after he shot 16-year-old Kellen Etherington at the McDonald’s on East Main Street in Springfield on April 17.
The Springfield Police Division responded to the McDonald’s around 5 p.m. after Etherington ran into the restaurant for help after being shot.
A woman ordering in the drive-thru heard the shooting and ran to help the boy.
» PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 15-year-old charged in shooting near Springfield McDonald's
Etherington was taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center and then taken by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital. After the shooting, the suspect ran away. Police found him and a gun at an apartment in the 300 block of Burnett Road.
Etherington’s grandmother, Linda Neville, said the bullet hit her grandson’s lung and doctors said it’s too dangerous to remove it — so he will live with it and any resulting complications for the rest of his life.
Neville said Etherington knows the 15-year-old boy who shot him — at one point in their lives, the two had been friends.
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