ROSEBURG, Ore. – Authorities charged a 14-year-old freshman with attempted murder in a school-yard shooting that seriously injured another student.
Vincent Wayne Leodoro will be tried as a juvenile under Oregon law, Police Sgt. Aaron Dunbar said. He said Leodoro was three months shy of turning 15, the age at which he could have been tried as an adult.
Dunbar said police haven't determined why Leodoro might have shot sophomore Joseph Monti, 16, just before classes began Thursday at Roseburg High School. Monti was hit three times in the torso and was hospitalized Friday in serious but stable condition. The hospital said his surgeon believed Monti had been shot in the back.
Police and witnesses said they tracked Leodoro from school to a nearby restaurant, where he put a handgun to his head before surrendering.
Along with attempted murder, Leodoro was charged with assault and firearms violations.
Monti was cited earlier this month on a misdemeanor harassment charge of spitting on a school bus rider, Dubar said, but investigators hadn't found any obvious connection with the shooting.