.Shooting in Arkansas

In March of 1998, two boys ages 11 and 13 shot several students and a teacher at their middle school. These boys were the youngest school shooters so far in the violent epidemic of school shootings. More than 100 of the victim's relatives and school staff have watched the legal hearing, which is the equivalent of an adult trial. Juvenile hearings are usually closed to the public in Arkansas, but the Judge opened the trial because of intense public interest. Because they are juveniles, the boys were not put on trial before a jury, were not convicted of murder and were not subject to a life sentence or death penalty. Instead the only issue for the judge to decide was guilt or innocence of juvenile delinquency under Arkansas law. Gov. Mike Huckabee has said he would build a new facility or modify an existing one to hold them as long as the state can. If the two are found guilty of being juvenile delinquents, the maximum sentence would keep them in a juvenile facility until age 21, but they could be released when they are 18.