Jaymier Perry, now 18, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to the May 2023 killing of 15-year-old Derrick Harris Jr. outside Oliver Citywide Academy. According to online court records and local media sources, Perry is set to be sentenced to 35 to life in prison on July 29 as part of a negotiated plea agreement.
Perry was 15 at the time of the shooting; thus, he is ineligible for the obligatory life term without parole that comes with a first-degree murder conviction.
Perry, according to investigators, arrived at the special-education school on May 24, 2023, with his mother’s 9-millimetre handgun. Prosecutors claimed Perry was aware that he and Harris were generally among the first pupils to arrive that morning.
Around 7:25 a.m., the city’s ShotSpotter system detected gunfire, and cops arrived to find Harris with numerous gunshot wounds on the school’s front steps. He later died in Allegheny General Hospital.
Prior to the incident, surveillance video showed Perry approaching Harris. Prosecutors said the footage also showed Perry attacking Harris after he collapsed before fleeing the scene. Investigators earlier said Perry fired 11 shots during the attack. Police swiftly apprehended Perry and arrested him while he was still holding the pistol.
According to court records, Perry told officers that he killed Harris because Harris had stolen his Beats headphones two days previously.
In court, Allegheny County Deputy District Attorney Ryan Kiray described the shooting.
“The defendant shot Harris until the gun was empty,” Kiray said.
When detectives enquired why he kicked and stomped on Harris after the shooting, Kiray stated Perry said, “If you’re going to shoot someone, you may as well finish the job,” and laughed.
Following the deadly shooting, Oliver Citywide Academy transitioned to remote learning for several weeks before relocating students to other locations for the following school year.
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