DAVENPORT, Wash. - Tuesday afternoon brought loads of emotion to the courtroom inside the Lincoln County Courthouse, as the suspect in the Reardan shooting case was sentenced.
"We can breathe a sigh of relief on this part, but there is still so much more to come,” Victim’s Grandmother Tina Hall said.
From the late hours of February 22 to now, the Hall-Turner family has experienced grief like no other; the loss of their family clown, best hugger, and bright light, 15-year-old Shadrach Hall-Turner. He was killed after a gun accidentally went off, shooting him in the neck, while hanging out with his friends.
Suspect Koedi White, who was 16 years old at the time of the shooting but recently turned 17, stole his grandmother’s gun and took it to the home of one of his friends.
Prosecution revealed on Tuesday that police determined each teenager was high off marijuana at the time of the shooting. Shadrach and White had begun tossing the loaded firearm back and forth, until it went off – shooting and killing Shadrach.
In March, White was charged with one count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, and one count of First Degree Manslaughter. On May 30, he pleaded guilty to those two charges inside juvenile court. The judge ruled White will serve a two-and-a-half-year sentence for these crimes in a juvenile rehabilitation center.
"Your honor, I've come here today to apologize to the victim’s family. Not only for my actions but for grief I have caused them today,” Koedi White said. "I can't imagine the pain you guys are going through. Nothing I do or say will bring Shadrach back.”
White cried as he spoke for the first time following this crime, addressing the victim’s family. Outside the courthouse and after the courtroom had cleared, Shadrach’s family spoke freely.
"Today in court is the first time I've seen Koedi White show any remorse for my grandson, and as a family I think we needed to hear that,” Hall said.
A restitution hearing will be scheduled at a later date. White has waived his right to be in attendance at that hearing.
From here on out, the Hall family said they are focused on healing, remembering Shadrach Hall-Turner forever.
