Black Friday shooting at Valley Fair mall renews debate: Are California's juvenile laws too lax?

"The 17-year-old boy walked across Valley Fair shopping mall on Black Friday, police said, accompanied by a young woman, her baby in a stroller and a loaded semi-automatic handgun. When he encountered a man in rival gang colors on the mall's second floor, police said, nothing seemed to deter him: not his recent arrest and probation on a weapons charge, not the mall's ubiquitous surveillance cameras and not the potential of hitting innocent shoppers on one of the busiest shopping days of the year."

"Cameras from all directions picked up a burst of at least six rapid fire gunshots, the screams and the panic as the teen's alleged 28-year-old target, an 18-year-old woman and 16-year-old girl, who were emerging from a store and didn't know each other, collapsed on the marble floor outside the Fresh Society clothing shop, around the corner from an entrance to Macy's, according to store videos and law enforcement sources."

"The violent outburst, which caused injuries, but not death, has renewed the debate over California's juvenile justice system and poses the question: Would harsher legal consequences for young offenders deter violent crimes or is this an example of adolescent impulsivity that needs more mercy, understanding and rehabilitation? The Black Friday shooting marks the second time in 10 months a juvenile has been arrested in a violent incident at a San Jose mall. On Valentine's Day, a 15-year-old boy on a date at Santana Row, across the street from Valley Fair, was stabbed to death after being confronted by suspected gang members. The boy accused of killing the teen was just 13 years old. His murder trial in juvenile court is set for trial Feb. 3. But even if convicted, he might face only months in juvenile custody."

A 17-year-old carried a loaded semi-automatic handgun through Valley Fair shopping mall on Black Friday accompanied by a woman and her baby. He encountered a man in rival gang colors on the mall's second floor and fired at least six rapid shots, captured on surveillance video. The teen's alleged 28-year-old target, an 18-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl collapsed outside a clothing shop; the shooting caused injuries but no fatalities. The incident intensified debate over California's juvenile justice leniency versus calls for harsher penalties, citing a prior Santana Row killing involving a 13-year-old suspect.

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