Jayson Jack was 16 when he allegedly tried to carry out a hit against Synsyr Lewis’s father in a restaurant parking lot in Federal Way, Washington.
According to prosecutors, Jack “circled the parking lot several times” before “firing 15 rounds into the windshield” of the car Synsyr was in (see story here). Synsry, who was in a car seat, was struck in the head and killed.
The attempt on the father’s life was targeted, not random; Jack is Synsry’s mother’s cousin, and his sister’s boyfriend “had a known dispute with SynSyr’s father” (see story here). Even so, it took police several months to identify him as the killer, build a case against him, and make an arrest.
According to charging documents, KOMO News says, “Jack has multiple prior juvenile convictions for violent crimes” including robbery, auto theft, and firearm possession (first link above). A year before the fatal shooting, he robbed two elderly women at gunpoint in a single day. Why was he back on the streets?
KOMO News, a Seattle TV station, pointed out that Washington law focuses on “decreasing recidivism among juveniles,” but a 16- or 17-year-old with a violent history can be prosecuted as an adult. However, court rulings limit sentences, so even if he’s convicted of Synsyr’s murder, Jack likely will be released someday.
Washington doesn’t have the death penalty anymore, but adults convicted of aggravated murder can be sentenced to life without parole.
Trying to understand why 16-year-olds — and even younger kids — are roaming society armed, engaging in shootouts, and committing gun crimes is far beyond the scope of this posting.
I blame the Supreme Court and Republican politicians and voters for saturating our society with guns, including military-grade weapons, and making them so accessible that troubled teens and even children have easy access to them.
But that doesn’t answer the question of what should happen to a 16-year-old gunman accused of murdering a toddler while trying to carry out a pre-planned hit on the child’s father. Every accused’s rights must be respected, of course. If he’s found guilty in a court of law, returning him to the streets shouldn’t be an option.