NEW CASTLE, Ind. — A 13-year-old boy is now being charged as an adult in a New Castle murder case.
A judge has agreed to waive the teen to adult court. In Indiana, you have to be at least 12 years old to be waived to adult court.
The teen who has been charged is accused of killing 47-year-old Ernie Thornsberry Jr. in New Castle in early May.
Court documents say the teen's friends told police the teen said he wanted to shoot someone days before the attack.
According to prosecutors, the teen used a gun that belonged to his friend's stepdad. A group of teens saw Thornsberry on the street, and the 13-year-old allegedly started threatening him and throwing rocks at him.
When Thornsberry pulled out a pocket knife, prosecutors say the teen shot him several times.
"It just tears my family apart," Defena Abbott said of the victim, who was good friends with her son. "Why would a 13-year-old have a gun? Why would he shoot somebody like that?"
Neighbors said they heard the gunfire.
"We heard like four pops and he just fell over," neighbor David Hadley said. "It was more blood than I ever seen."
"I actually heard the three gunshots when it happened," neighbor Deanna McMillan said. "I finally peeked out the window, and that's about the time the police started to show up. It was very scary because it's right here at my home. And then, I heard it was a 13-year-old boy, and that almost makes it worse because I don't understand that at all, why a 13-year-old would feel like he needed to shoot somebody."
Another neighbor told police he saw four boys running from the shooting scene.
Detectives found and questioned the teens. New Castle Assistant Police Chief Justin Wardlow said the boys were all under 15 years old. Police then arrested the 13-year-old on a murder charge and let the other teens go.
A jury trial is set for November.