Ga. School Shooter Gets 40-Year Prison Term

CONYERS, Ga. —  A teenager who shot and wounded six high school classmates last year was sentenced Thursday to 40 years in prison and 65 years of probation.

T.J. Solomon, 17, who pleaded guilty but mentally ill a day earlier, held his head in his hands through much of Thursday’s hearing. He stood up straight and had no visible reaction to the sentence.

“I apologize to the court and everyone who was hurt. I’m sorry for what I did,” Solomon said at the beginning of the hearing. “I don’t understand why I did it. I see myself as a little confused, and I’d like to get help.”

Superior Court Judge Sidney Nation said he felt sorry for Solomon but said he would “err on the side of safety for the community.”

Solomon opened fire with a sawed-off rifle at Heritage High School in suburban Atlanta on May 20, 1999, one month after the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado. No one was killed or critically injured, and witnesses said Solomon, then 15, aimed below the waist.

Witnesses said he surrendered to an assistant principal with a tearful: “Oh, my God, I’m so scared!”

Solomon’s attorney, Ed Garland, had recommended 10 years in prison and indicated he may appeal. “I’m very sad, I’m very disappointed T.J. will not be provided treatment for his mental illness,” Garland said.

Victims who were in the courtroom hugged after the sentence was announced.