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Petteway sentenced to 12 years in adult prison after pleading guilty to gang-related shooting

SENTENCING — Kylar M. Petteway, 16, sits with his defense attorney, Aaron Miller, during Thursday’s hearing in Jefferson County Common Pleas Court. -- Mark Law

STEUBENVILLE — The defense attorney for Kylar Petteway, 16, who was sentenced to 12 years in an adult prison on Thursday, said the case is another example of young people in the city shooting other young people for no reason at all.

Petteway pleaded guilty to five counts of attempted murder and five counts of felonious assault, with firearm specifications and specifications the shooting was gang-related, and tampering with evidence for hiding the gun.

Three females were shot from a moving vehicle on Jan. 12 in the 200 block of North Seventh Street. Two males, who were believed to be the intended targets, were with the females and were not injured, reports showed.

City Police believe Petteway was shooting at rival gang members. He was charged in juvenile court, but Jefferson County Juvenile Judge Joseph Corabi ordered in June the case be sent to the adult division.

Attorney Aaron Miller said the shootings by young people are for reasons which go back years and that the young people knew nothing about.

Miller said Petteway didn’t have any parenting and his sister was attempting to raise him. His attorney added Petteway found a “family” and companionship in a gang.

“When young people shoot young people, the criminal justice system has to step in. He is not a bad kid. He was just in a bad situation and made bad choices,” Miller said.

Petteway was wounded in a gang-related shooting on April 9, 2017. Donnell I. “Rida” Turner, 24, of Steubenville was convicted on April 27 in the shootings of Petteway and Christian Frazier, 17, of Steubenville and the shooting death of Tyshawn Jett, 15, of Steubenville in the Labelleview section.

Testimony in the trial highlighted the violence between the rival Grape Street and Nike gangs.

Common Pleas Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr. asked Petteway why the shooting occurred. Petteway responded by saying it was because of the shooting death of Jett.

“It was just bad choices and bad decisions,” Petteway said.

Prosecutor Jane Hanlin said the community has reached the point where teens will shoot each other if they are seen on the street. She said the teens try to justify the shootings by saying the target might have been involved in the shooting of one of their fellow gang members.

“This indeed is a cautionary tale,” she said.

Hanlin said Petteway was an “easy target” to be taken in by a gang.

Bruzzese temporarily stayed the sentence until possible further proceedings in juvenile court.

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