16-year-old jailed for more than 50 years for drive-by shooting that was a gang initiation
A 16-year-old boy has been sentenced to 50 years behind bars for his role in a drive-by shooting.
Prosecutors said Noah Ney was involved in a gang initiation last year in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The court was told how Ney was driving a stolen car when he passed a five-year-old girl and unloaded several shots in her direction.
The young girl was hit in the neck and shoulder.
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According to News On 6, prosecutors spent a lot of time going into detail about Ney's previous behavior.
The teen, despite his age, has racked up a shocking list of interactions with police.
There have reportedly been robbery incidents, gun charges, and drugs, and Ney has been in and out of juvenile detention centers.
When he's been incarcerated, he certainly didn't change his demeanor.
He was accused of assaulting staff members, throwing cups of water at employees, smearing feces on the wall of his cell and even flooding the cell in another incident.
The court was shown pictures of the teen using gang hand signs as well as holding guns, and a woman testified that Ney was a danger to the community.
Assistant Tulsa County District Attorney Morgan Medders said: "He had several opportunities.
"I have treatment records in a packet that is thicker than a dictionary that show treatment attempts that he rejected, by escaping or assaulting staff that was there to help him get treatment."
During the trial, his aunt explained that Ney has had a difficult childhood, however she saw him improve while he was living with her.
She said he might be able to get on the right track if he had the opportunity to stay with her and her husband.
Ney was tried as an adult for the shooting last year.
He was charged with several counts of possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property, possession of a controlled substance, as well as assault and battery with a deadly weapon, use of a vehicle in discharge of a weapon and a gang-related offense.
The teen managed to escape from the detention center.
He was on the run for four days before eventually being arrested and taken back to his cell.
His sentence could be reduced after five years when a judicial review is conducted.
Stewart Perrie