Noblesville school shooter sent to juvenile jail: 'You took this community's sense of safety'

The 13-year-old Noblesville West Middle School shooter will likely be held at a maximum security juvenile jail after a judge's ruling Wednesday.

"You took this community's sense of safety," Hamilton Circuit Judge Paul A. Felix told the boy. "You went into school that day intending to kill many people, not just two. It shakes me to think that was your goal."

Following the disposition, which is similar to a sentencing in adult court, the Indiana Department of Correction could decide to release the boy from the juvenile facility before he's 18. But the judge signaled his strong desire for the shooter to remain in jail until he's an adult.

If he is released before then, the court retains jurisdiction and could keep him on probation until he turns 22.

More about the boy: In video, he calmly pressed a gun to his cheek

Noblesville shooting victim's parents: 'Maximum sentence' needed for suspect

Felix's order comes more than a week after the 13-year-old admitted to firing upon a teacher and classmate in a May 25 shooting that shook the community. The teacher, Jason Seaman, still has two bullets in his body. The then-seventh-grade student, Ella Whistler, can't tie her shoes or wash her hair after being shot seven times.

“The evidence suggests you thought of it, planned for it, warned your friends and left a last message to the world all on your own,” Felix said.

Defense attorneys had argued that the boy would come out worse if he were sent to an Indiana Department of Correction juvenile jail, where they warned that he could be influenced by older teenagers.

Felix rejected their argument: "My concern is for the people you will be near, not the other way around."

The boy and his parents wore blank expressions through most of Wednesday's hearing, including the announcement of their son's fate. Afterward, they huddled with the defense attorneys, the boy's father's arm wrapped around his wife's shoulders.

"We obviously felt our client and the community would be better served with a different placement," said Chris Eskew, the boy's attorney. "Realistically it's probably the same sort of treatment, same sort of options."

Ella Whistler’s mother, Julia Whistler, said after the disposition that what the judge said Wednesday is “what we wanted to hear." Whistler's parents declined to comment further.

Noblesville Schools issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, saying the shooting on May 25 "forever changed the lives of our students, staff and community."

"Our sincerest hope is that this boy never hurts anyone again," it said. "We appreciate the court’s powerful comments and final decision, and recognize that it was appropriate within the limited confines of what state law will allow.

"We’re hopeful this will be a step towards closure and healing for the victims and our community overall."

IndyStar is not naming the boy because he was not tried as an adult.

The shooting

Wednesday's hearing capped several months of speculation about what would happen to the boy responsible for bringing violence into Noblesville West Middle School.

Yet while his penalty is known, questions remain about why the shooting happened.

"We still have no motive," prosecutor Brandi Pass said during a hearing last week. "He did it because he wanted to take lives. He didn't shoot Jason and Ella for a longstanding grudge. He did it because he likes to shoot people."

What is known, however, is where the boy found the guns and how he brought them into the school.

On the morning of May 25, the boy came to school carrying a .45-caliber handgun and .22-caliber handgun with an attached silencer, prosecutors said. The weapons, taken from his family's gun safe, were tucked inside a backpack that the boy stashed in his locker.

During seventh-grade science class in the second period, the boy left the room to retrieve his backpack, prosecutors said. Then he walked to the restroom, ditching the bag and returning to the classroom, weapons concealed in the pockets of his gray hoodie and khaki pants.

Seaman, who had been circling the class to answer students' questions about a test, stood near Whistler's desk about 15 feet from the classroom door when the boy walked back in.

The boy fired the .22-caliber handgun, prosecutors said.

Seaman said he threw a small basketball in the shooter’s direction. Then he rushed the boy, wrapping him in a bear hug and tackling him into a classroom wall while the boy continued firing.

Seaman said he pinned the student to the ground and disarmed him.

By the end, Seaman had been shot three times: once in the abdomen, once in the right forearm, and once in the right hip.

Shots also struck Whistler, multiple times in her chest, neck and arm, according to prosecutors. Her mother said Whistler is still doing six hours of occupational and physical therapy a week.

Whistler — who was involved in volleyball, show choir, drama club, cheerleading and confirmation classes at her church — can no longer participate in contact sports, including volleyball.

The apology

During his comments Wednesday, Judge Felix expressed concern about the boy's demeanor in court.

The boy did not testify during last week's court hearing, but his attorneys read a statement: “If I could, I would take it back," the boy wrote. “Sorry to Ella and Mr. Seaman. Ella, I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused you.”

The boy's mother also apologized during last week's hearing: “Mr. Seaman, I’m sorry. I’m sorry this happened to you."

Still, Felix described a fear Wednesday: "Your absolute lack of care, concern, empathy and compassion frightens me," Felix said.

Eskew, the boy's attorney, responded to that comment after the hearing.

"I think it's hard to judge someone's sincerity when you don't know them,” Eskew said. “Our client is a hard kid to read. I do believe he is remorseful for what he did.”

Changes to Noblesville Schools

Following the shooting, the Noblesville community supported a tax increase that will send $50 million to the schools, in part, to upgrade security.

What the district first plans to do, Superintendent Beth Niedermeyer said, is increase the number of school resource officers. The district already doubled the number of uniformed police officers in its 10 schools compared to last year, from four to eight. The district hopes to have 12 by the end of the school year.

The tax increase will give Noblesville Schools about $6.25 million per year over the next eight years.

$1.57 million will be spent on mental health, including hiring a mental health coordinator, 10 social workers, two middle school deans, two elementary school counselors and software to start screening students.

$1.75 million will be spent on safety staff and equipment, including hiring a full-time district safety director, eight additional school resource officers, a technician to manage security footage, and installing video systems on buses.

The remaining dollars will be spent on teacher salaries.

A new state program announced by Gov. Eric Holcomb, meanwhile, allowed schools to request handheld metal detectors for free.

Most traditional public school corporations — more than 90 percent of them — took the governor up on his offer, including Noblesville.

Contact IndyStar reporter Mark Alesia at 317-444-6311 or mark.alesia@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @markalesia.

Contact IndyStar reporter Emma Kate Fittes at 317-513-7854 or efittes@gannett.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Contact IndyStar reporter Vic Ryckaert at 317-444-2701. Follow him on Twitter: @VicRyc.

Contact IndyStar reporter Ryan Martin at 317-444-6294 or ryan.martin@indystar.com. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter: @ryanmartin