TAMPA, Fla. — A grand jury has handed down a first-degree murder charge against 16-year-old Ja’Marion Strange in relation to a Nov. 23 Tampa shooting, a news release from the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office reports.
Strange is accused of shooting 13-year-old Ty'Quan Johnson outside an East Tampa community center.
Investigators say, with the help of video, witnesses and several tips, they were able to charge Strange with Johnson's murder.
According to police, Strange was already in custody for three felony charges that stemmed from another shooting that happened in early November.
This charge against the 16-year-old automatically places him into the adult court system, the attorney's office explains.
The maximum sentence, if convicted, is life in prison because he is under the age of 18.
"We will do everything in our power to hold...killers accountable for the lives they took and the anguish they have caused for the families of their victims,” Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said in a statement.
Editor’s Note: 10 Tampa Bay is identifying the teenage suspect in this case based on the severity of the charges and circumstances surrounding the shooting.