13-year-old charged with murder in shooting of man whose leg was blocking bus aisle

DENVER (AP) — A 13-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting a man whose leg was blocking the aisle on a Denver public bus has been charged as a juvenile with first-degree murder and other felonies, prosecutors said Thursday.

The Denver District Attorney’s Office is still considering whether to try to prosecute the boy as an adult, a decision which would ultimately be up to a judge, said office spokesperson Maro Casparian.

His name has not been released because he is a juvenile.

According to police, their investigation found the teen apparently got into a “verbal exchange” with a 60-year-old man before shooting him on the bus in southwest Denver on Jan. 27. A second person suffered a minor injury, police said.

The charges filed against the boy, which were first reported by The Denver Post, include two different kinds of first-degree murder charges alleging that he both killed someone after deliberation and by showing extreme indifference to human life.

The charges also include counts such as assault and endangering a public transport crew, which are felonies, and possessing a gun as a juvenile, which is a misdemeanor.