FREEMAN, Wash. – The Freeman High School shooter who killed a classmate in 2017 was resentenced to 25 years to life in prison Friday.
The Spokane County Superior Court decision changed shooter Caleb Sharpe’s initial 40-year-sentence to 25 years after a state appeals court found that he was improperly sentenced.
Under state law, an individual cannot receive a sentence of over 25 years to life if the crime they committed took place before they were 16-year-old. Because Sharpe was 15 when he shot at several classmates, the appeals court ruled that he was constitutionally entitled to a reduced sentence.
The Freeman High School shooting left a continued impact upon educators and students in the small Washington town, though gun safety laws have not substantially changed on a national level since the deadly events. The US Supreme Court Coincidentally, both the Vegas shooting and the Freeman shooting took place in 2017.
Gun safety has become a more pressing legislative priority in Washington, where the state supreme court is currently preparing to hear a case
