15-year-old charged as adult in fatal shooting of homeless man in Pennsylvania

A 15-year-old Pennsylvania boy has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder and other charges in connection to the fatal shooting of a homeless man in the face, prosecutors said.

Jeremiah Waylon Hawkins, 39, was shot on Nov. 22 after he was confronted by the teenager in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, a borough about 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele and Pottstown Police Chief Mick Markovich. USA TODAY is not naming the teen because he is a minor.

The teen was arraigned the same day by a district judge in the Montgomery County's Magisterial District Court, Steele and Markovich said in a news release. He faces one count each of first-degree murder, third-degree murder, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of a firearm by a minor, and possession of a weapon, according to online court records.

The suspect is being held at the Montgomery County Youth Center and was denied bail, authorities said. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

It is unclear whether the teen has retained an attorney. Online court records show that he was advised of his right to apply for assignment of counsel but declined to request a public defender.

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Victim found with 'obvious' gunshot wound to head

Shortly after 12 p.m. on Nov. 22, authorities said responding Pottstown police officers were dispatched to the scene and discovered Hawkins lying on the street with "an obvious gunshot wound to the head."

The victim, who was experiencing homelessness at the time of the shooting, was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office determined that Hawkins had died from a gunshot to the head and ruled the death a homicide.

An investigation by the Pottstown Police Department and Montgomery County detectives found that the teen had "sought out Hawkins" before the two got into an argument, according to multiple witness interviews and surveillance video. During the argument, authorities said Hawkins "swung a tire" at the suspect who had his arm extended toward Hawkins and was also holding a gun.

When Hawkins attempted to knock the gun out of the teen's hand, authorities added that the teen fired a single shot at Hawkins’ face. The victim fell immediately and the suspect fired another shot before dropping the firearm, according to authorities.

As the teen walked away from the scene, authorities said bystanders nearby detained him. Responding officers who arrested the suspect recovered a .40 semi-automatic firearm at the scene.

Detectives determined the firearm belonged to the suspect's father, according to authorities.

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Pennsylvania gun laws

According to Pennsylvania State Police, individuals who are 21 and older may apply for a license to carry firearms. But the state has "no law that imposes a penalty on someone who fails to secure an unattended firearm and leaves it accessible to an unsupervised minor," according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

The state House Judiciary Committee was scheduled to consider bills earlier this month that would require the secure storage of firearms in homes with minors and impose penalties for guardians who allow a minor to possess or use a firearm, Spotlight PA reported. But those bills were tabled.

Advocates across Pennsylvania have called for state officials to pass gun control measures in light of recent mass shootings and a spike in gun violence across the country. Despite advancements by Democrats in Pennsylvania’s state House of Representatives, the measures have faced criticism and have not been considered in the Republican-controlled state Senate.

Surge in gun violence across the U.S.

There have been at least 39,015 gun violence deaths in the country so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit publicly sourced database.

Over 48,000 people died from gun-related injuries in 2021 – a 23% increase from the roughly 39,000 deaths in 2019, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of gun murders has also grown since 2019, accounting for nearly 21,000 of those gun-related injury deaths in 2021 – a 45% increase.

Contributing: Sarah Elbeshbishi, USA TODAY; The Associated Press