Crime & Bullying Prevention

Youth pleads guilty to shooting fellow students at school in Madison, Ohio

Two students were wounded by gunfire, and two others were injured while fleeing from the Feb. 29 shooting.
April 28, 2016

A 15-year-old boy who wounded four fellow students in a shooting earlier this year at a Madison, Ohio, school has pleaded guilty to four counts of attempted murder.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that James “Austin” Hancock, an eighth grader, brought a loaded handgun to Madison Junior/Senior High School on Feb. 29 and shot two students in the cafeteria.

Two other students were injured either by shrapnel or while running away.

The youth will be sentenced June 6 in Butler County juvenile court. Judge Ronald Craft is expected to sentence Hancock to a juvenile facility until he is 21.

Craft also will set a prison term that would be imposed only if Hancock commits serious violations while in juvenile custody.

Hancock who was 14 at the time, used a relative's gun, authorities say. He also pleaded guilty to a count of inducing panic.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy, senior editor, has written for AS&U on a wide range of educational issues since 1999.

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