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West Mifflin, Pa. (AP) – A judge has dismissed all charges against a teenager injured in a shooting at a western Pennsylvania amusement park that sent another teenager and an adult to the hospital.
An Allegheny County District Court judge has dismissed assault, reckless endangerment and firearms charges against a 15-year-old suspect in the Sept. 24 shooting in Kennywood Park on the opening night of the park’s Phantom Fall Fest.
Defense attorney Kenneth Haber called the case presented by prosecutors “smoke and mirrors,” arguing they had circumstantial evidence proving his client was the victim of a shooting that night in the park. Noting that public outrage may have prompted authorities to move forward with the case, Haber said Wednesday that prosecutors have “nothing but a theory, and theories are not evidence.”
The shooting occurred near the Music Express ride at the park in West Mifflin, southeast of Pittsburgh, after an altercation between two teenagers, park officials said. A 39-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy were taken to hospitals with leg injuries, and the man who was eventually arrested suffered a graze wound.
Investigators said two guns were fired and the search is on for a second suspect. Officials were trying to find out how the weapons got into the park. Kennywood later announced new security measures, including more police, more security at perimeter fences, and limits on bag sizes and face masks.
Officials said the shooting was sparked by a feud between two teenagers that has led to several shootings in several communities in the Mon Valley.
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