A white 14-year-old accused of trying to drown a Black boy in Cape Cod has been identified upon his release from jail.
John Sheeran, 14, was released to the custody of his father on Monday, September 11, after he was indicted on charges of attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon, NBC News reports. The charges by way of a grand jury are the result of a July 19 incident at Goose Pond in Chatham, Massachusetts where a Black teen claims to be a victim of a racially motivated attack.
Sheeran is accused of repeatedly dunking the Black teen under the water while another white teen laughed and called him “George Floyd.” The Black teen says he told Sheeran and his friend that he could not swim and needed to wear a life jacket but Sheeran proceeded to try and pull him underwater four or five times
The Black youth also says “racial slurs like ‘boy,’” were used in an incident that escalated over stone throwing. Other youths who were present at the pond claim to have seen Sheeran atop the Black child in the water and did hear someone say “George Floyd,” according to witness statements given to police.
NEW: John Sheeran, 14, will be released from jail after he was charged with attempted murder for trying to drown a black child in Chatham. Judge says he’ll be on home confinement with GPS monitor. Prosecutors say he shouted racial slurs at victim while pulling him under water pic.twitter.com/Nk3iqKboyy
— Litsa Pappas (@LitsaPappas) September 11, 2023
Last month, Sheeran was indicted by a Barnstable County grand jury and ordered held without bail after a hearing. He remained in the custody of the Department of Youth Services up until his release on Monday.
As part of his release pending trial, a judge ordered Sheeran to GPS monitoring, stay with his father, report to probation regularly, and stay away from potential witnesses in the case. Sheeran’s lawyer believes the charges are “over the top” for the mere “horseplaying” between the youth that “got out of control,” The Boston Globe reports.
Everyone involved in the case is a youth who had their names redacted. All except for Sheeran since he is being tried as a youthful offender where prosecutors have the discretion to seek an adult sentence for children between 14 and 17 years old who are charged with a felony or meet other criteria including a charge involving the infliction or threat of serious bodily harm.
Chatham’s select board and the Monomoy Regional School District released a statement denouncing the incident and reinforcing their stand for diversity and inclusion.
“We are disturbed and saddened to learn of the event that occurred earlier this summer between juveniles,” the select board said.
“We do not believe that it reflects the true nature of our community, which is diverse and inclusive. We condemn all acts of violence, particularly those directed at children.”
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