Teen to be Tried as Adult in Mall Shooting That Injured Three

A judge has ruled that a teenager accused of shooting three people at a western Pennsylvania mall a year ago will be tried as an adult rather than a juvenile.

Eighteen-year-old Tarod Thornhill of Penn Hills faces charges in Allegheny County including attempted homicide and aggravated assault in the February 2015 shootings in Macy's at the Monroeville Mall about 15 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Thornhill had sought to move his case to juvenile court, which would only have jurisdiction until he turned 21. Defense attorney Christopher Urbano argued that the focus there would be on treatment rather than incarceration.

But Common Pleas Judge Anthony Mariani said the impact of the crime on both the victims and the community was immense, and he also cited the defendant's extensive juvenile record.