WASHINGTON — An 18-year-old defendant will begin his adult life in prison after he pleaded guilty to shooting his classmate in a bathroom stall, surrounded by other teens.
Editor's Note: The above video is from previous reporting in November 2022
Steven Alston Jr. pled guilty in November to shooting the now 16-year-old DeAndre Thomas on Jan. 21 at Colonel Zadok Magruder High School.
On Thursday, Montgomery County Judge David Boynton sentenced Alston to 40 years in prison, with all but 18 years suspended; he'll also be on probation for five years upon release. As part of his plea deal, if Alston completes a program for young offenders, he could be eligible for early release.
Boynton called the Magruder shooting a “seismic event” in Montgomery County's history, specifically pointing out how Alston had bought and assembled a ghost gun and planned the shooting. At the hearing, three photos were shown of Alston posing with the unregistered gun and showing off magazines filled with bullets. Not released was security camera video shown in court from inside the school showing Alston apparently skipping down the hallway after the shooting.
"It looks like he’s celebrating what he’d just done, skipping down that hallway not having a care in the world knowing he’d just shot another human being," State's Attorney John Mccarthy said.
During the January shooting, the first inside a Montgomery County school, a group of fellow classmates stood by, watching and live-tweeting the violence as it unfolded, police believe. The state's attorney specified there were between eight and 10 boys running from the restroom after the incident; none of whom reported what they had seen to officials.
Police have since said that the teen boys had an ongoing argument, and during a January bond hearing, prosecutors alleged that Alston had planned to settle it in the bathroom.
Thomas' mother told WUSA9 that her son spent months in the hospital recovering, undergoing 10 surgeries. He has since returned to school at Magruder. In November, the mother sued MCPS, saying the lack of school resource police officers was partially to blame for her son’s life-threatening injuries.
"It was 36 minutes before another officer arrived," Thomas said. "A lot can happen in those 36 minutes and I hope they do bring SRO officers back."
Alston, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was charged as an adult with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony/violent crime, possession of a dangerous weapon on school property and possession of a firearm by a minor.
Alston's attorney argued that the bigger issue was the ease with which Alston was able to get a gun at the age of 17. Attorney David Felsen said Alston had been a victim of bullying and school authorities failed to identify the trouble or provide guidance. In a statement read by Felsen, Alston claimed he was "frightened and didn't know what to do."
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) released an "after-action" report months after the shooting. Click here to read that full report.
According to the report, the high school's Security Team Leader (STL) found Thomas in a boy's bathroom just before 1 p.m. after seeing the students running away.
As the STL entered the bathroom while other students ran out, the STL found Thomas heavily bleeding from a gunshot wound in the lower abdomen/pelvis area. The STL was able to help save Thomas with the use of an available "Stop the Bleed Kit."
According to the Stop the Bleed website, a "Stop the Bleed Kit" was developed with manufacturers in the hemorrhage control industry and the military. A basic kit includes items to help create a tourniquet and help control bleeding. Click here to learn more.
Officials described the initial situation as "complicated," saying that Thomas would not tell the STL what had happened to him or who the other students in the bathroom were.
The report claims staff called 911 within minutes of finding Thomas.
School officials say they reviewed CCTV footage to help identify the students who were seen running from the bathroom. The video then led to officials identifying a then-11th-grade student, Alston, as the alleged shooter. Staff believes Alston was inside a classroom when the school went into lockdown. He was later taken into custody by the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD).
SWAT officers claim Alston had broken down a "ghost gun" into different components and the firearm was no longer operational.
The violent incident that happened on Jan. 21 has since spurred conversation and action, like gun buyback programs, as a result.