Prosecutors formally charged a teen as an adult on Wednesday in the fatal shooting of a 13-year-old girl on a Homestead school bus.
Jordyn Howe, 15, faces charges of manslaughter with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm by a minor in the November incident that killed Lourdes Guzman-DeJesus.
He had been on home detention with a monitor, but on Wednesday he turned himself in to Juvenile Court authorities. He was later transported to the adult facility, and on Thursday morning he is expected to appear in adult bond court.
Ady Guzman-DeJesus, the victim's mother, said she that was pleased that the court the took the action.
“He should just pay for what he did and he has to pay as an adult," she said. "It teaches other kids to – this is what you get if you do things that you’re not supposed to do. And I know it’s not going to bring her back but at least he will pay for what he did.”
According to the arrest form, the teens were on their way to school on the private bus when the boy took the firearm out of his backpack and displayed it. The gun went off, hitting Guzman-DeJesus as the bus was in the area of Southwest 296th Street and Southwest 137th Avenue.
“That’s not an accident, I’m sorry. Like Ron said, he had to pull it in order for it to go off,” Ady Guzman-DeJesus said, referring to family spokesman Ron Book. "He should not have (had) the gun in his hand. He shouldn’t even bring it to school.”
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Lourdes Guzman-DeJesus, a student at Palm Glades Preparatory Academy, was taken to Miami Children's Hospital, where she later died.
Howe's family members have refused to comment on the case. His stepfather told NBC 6 South Florida recently that he simply couldn't talk about it.
