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Two boys in Michigan are facing felony murder charges after fatally shooting a 17-year-old honor roll student during a failed carjacking.
The incident occurred on Feb. 17 when Jack Synder, who was a senior at Battle Creek Central High School, was driving home after leaving his girlfriend’s house.
Synder reportedly offered rides to a 13-year-old and 14-year-old he saw walking on a night when the temperatures were below freezing.
“On this night, [Snyder] was trying to do what he thought was the right thing by offering a ride to these two younger kids walking in the freezing weather,” said Battle Creek Police Department Sgt. Chris Rabbitt. “It was a miserable night that night – cold, windy, snow, rain.”
However, once the teens entered Synder’s vehicle, they allegedly shot him twice in a failed carjacking.
The two suspects fled from the scene, and cops asked nearby residents to review their security footage to see if anything involving the incident was captured.
Rabbitt called the shooting “an extremely tragic situation” and said the victim was a “17-year-old young man who was getting ready to pursue his dreams after high school, doing … all the normal things a 17-year-old would do.”
Snyder was found face down on the road next to his vehicle. Upon arrival, emergency personnel rendered aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
After receiving “a significant number of tips from the community” and using “surveillance camera systems at multiple locations throughout the area,” authorities were able to track down the suspects.
The 14-year-old was arrested and charged as an adult with felony murder, carjacking, and two firearms charges.
The 13-year-old, accompanied by a parent, turned himself into the Battle Creek Police Department. The teen was charged with felony murder and carjacking and held at the Calhoun County Youth Center.
Although the 13-year-old could receive blended sentencing as a juvenile and an adult, prosecutors expect his case to be pushed to adult court.
