ROANOKE, Va. – The teenage boy charged in connection with shooting another teenager inside of Valley View Mall the day after Christmas last year was found not guilty on all three charges.
The boy was arrested about a month after the shooting, which police said was the result of an argument inside the mall.
The jury found him not guilty of malicious wounding, using a firearm to commit a crime and shooting a gun in an occupied building.
[‘I have never in my life been this scared’: Valley View Mall employees react to the shooting]
Roanoke Commonwealth Attorney Don Caldwell said that the jury found the defendant not guilty because of the defense’s explanation regarding the boy’s use of self-defense, including the charge of shooting a gun in an occupied building.
“That particular charge falls by the wayside if in fact, you were exercising your right of self-defense,” explained Caldwell.
He said the defendant and the victim who was shot did know each other.
[Roanoke man thanks Zumiez employees for keeping him safe after gunshots at Valley View Mall]