JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Edgar Robles, the 16-year-old suspected of shooting up a school bus on Jacksonville's Westside earlier this month, faced a Duval County judge Friday morning and learned he will be tried as an adult.
Robles was wanted on two counts of attempted murder and one count of firing deadly missiles for the shooting that injured two teenage girls earlier this month. He was arrested last week during a traffic stop in Liberty County, Georgia -- about 30 miles south of Savannah. Authorities said he was treated for a self-inflicted gunshot wound, then locked up in a juvenile facility in Georgia until Thursday, when he was returned to Jacksonville to face the charges.
Robles appeared before a juvenile judge Friday morning and was ordered held without bond. Since State Attorney Angela Corey made the determination Robles will be tried an adult because some crimes are so egregious.
"In the juvenile justice system, as I've said many times, the maximum risk programs can only hold a juvenile 18 to 36 months," Corey said. "And crimes like this are not suitable for that type of juvenile sentencing. We need more discretion; we need longer sentences in cases like this."
Tried an adult, Robles would face a minimum of 25 years in prison if convicted.
Robles' mother was in court Friday, but declined to talk about her son. The family attorney said she's a law-abiding, God-fearing mother who is she's mortified that her son's been charged with a heinous crime.
"It's unfortunate. He is 16 years old. He doesn't understand the consequences the way everybody else does," attorney Robert Davis said. "When you're an adult, you've been around the block or seen the world. He hasn't. He doesn't. He's a young child."
Prosecutors said more charges could be filed against Robles since there were 30 children on the bus when the shots were fired.
Corey said that just because Robles hit only two students doesn't make the others any less a victim. She said her office looks at the actions of the shooter, not necessarily the results.
"There is nothing more egregious. It's not like you don't know who is on a school bus," Corey said.