A 15 year old boy is facing the legal repercussions about the shooting death of a student on a Miami-Dade school bus. The boy, Jordyn Howe, is reported to have carried a gun for two months in his school backpack. Other students report that he had shown the gun to them, or allowed them to handle it during this period. Mr. Howe is now facing manslaughter charges. He has been released on bail, and ordered to stay at home if not at school or attending church.
The incident took place on November 20 of last year. It is reported that on this day, the boy got on the bus and subsequently let another student pull and release the mechanism on the gun that loads the bullet into the chamber. The gun was then passed to another student who began playing with it, including pulling the trigger, but no bullet was discharged. When Howe took the gun back, he pointed it at the girl, pulled the trigger and the gun discharged a bullet into her neck.
The victim, Lourden Guzman-DeJesus, was pronounced dead at the hospital. Howe admitted that he had the gun, had fired the gun, and had gotten it from his stepfather's closet. The father of the victim committed suicide shortly after her death. Questions remain as to whether the owner of the gun could be held accountable legally.
Any violent crime resulting in the loss of life, whether intentional or unintentional, is a very serious legal problem. You have the right to an attorney. Make it a trial lawyer that has a track record of success at trial. At the Law Office of Michael Mirer, P.A., the founding attorney is a former prosecutor with a great deal of insight in the criminal justice system. Contact us today if you need experienced legal counsel for a criminal case.