'We still believe in you': Green Bay teen sentenced to 10 years in prison for 2024 shooting near Preble High School

GREEN BAY - Three days earlier an April 2024 shooting connected Green Bay's eastbound broadside locked down Preble High and Danz Elementary schools, Brown County District Court Judge John Zakowski presided implicit a proceeding successful a juvenile lawsuit against the Green Bay teen who would origin the shooting.

At the teen's sentencing Tuesday, Zakowski said helium feels atrocious that immoderate helium said astatine that proceeding "must person gone successful 1 receptor and retired the other." Zakowski said judges often blasted themselves erstwhile idiosyncratic they person been with for a agelong time, arsenic helium has with 16-year-old Freddrick Love-Kennedy, ends up backmost successful their court.

"I consciousness atrocious astir today, Freddrick," Zakowski said earlier delivering the sentence. "You're not a atrocious kid, not a atrocious person, Freddrick, and I inactive judge that."

Love-Kennedy was sentenced to 10 years of archetypal confinement followed by 10 years of extended supervision aft helium pleaded nary contention Jan. 17 to first-degree reckless wounded with a unsafe limb for shooting astatine and injuring a then-16-year-old lad Love-Kennedy had ongoing disputes with.

It was fortunate Zakowski wasn't presiding implicit a homicide case, prosecuting lawyer Kimberly Hardtke said, arsenic the unfortunate had 2 gunshot wounds to his limb and slug fragments successful his face, suggesting helium could person been changeable successful the caput had his limb not taken the brunt of the shots.

Love-Kennedy was primitively charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide successful the shooting, which occurred adjacent the intersection of Mills and Village streets conscionable aft 12:30 p.m. April 19, 2024. The unfortunate and friends were determination to combat Love-Kennedy and his cousin, according to a transgression complaint, but Love-Kennedy approached the victim's car and pulled retired a gun.

Everyone successful the car got retired and ran erstwhile the car wouldn't start, the ailment said, but the unfortunate went backmost due to the fact that helium forgot his keys successful the ignition. Love-Kennedy changeable the unfortunate doubly successful the limb and continued firing shots, pursuing the unfortunate arsenic helium tried to tally away, the ailment said.

"There are precise fewer things worse oregon (more) cowardly than shooting astatine idiosyncratic successful the backmost erstwhile they're moving away," Zakowski said.

'People conscionable gave up connected him'

A forensic scientist spent implicit six hours administering respective intelligence trial to Love-Kennedy, defence lawyer James Schoenecker said, and his study recovered that Love-Kennedy experienced 9 retired of the 10 adverse puerility experiences, including abuse, neglect, violence, intelligence illness.

In the study summary, Schoenecker said the scientist noted a little play of medicine successful archetypal people that wasn't continued contempt the medicine appearing to assistance Love-Kennedy, nary past of intelligence evaluations oregon household attraction services contempt aboriginal recommendations for some and wide "pervasive neglect" successful providing Love-Kennedy with the resources helium needed.

"He's had nary stableness successful his life," Schoenecker said. "He suffers from intelligence unwellness issues that were addressed and past radical conscionable gave up connected him."

The tribunal has to see Love-Kennedy's age, developmental signifier and imaginable for rehabilitation, Schoenecker said, and "his behaviour is not indicative of lifelong patterns." Keeping Love-Kennedy connected to his assemblage and his household is captious successful reducing his chances of recidivism, Schoenecker said.

The defence asked Zakowski to condemnation Love-Kennedy to 7 years successful situation followed by 7 years of extended supervision. While Love-Kennedy was convicted successful big court, helium is lone 16, Schoenecker told Zakowski, "please don't hide that."

'We inactive judge successful you'

Everything Schoenecker said astir however Love-Kennedy was failed successful his childhood, Zakowski said helium agrees with. It's thing helium sees often successful his courtroom, thinks astir perpetually and adjacent thought astir Tuesday greeting astatine Mass.

The circumstances radical similar Love-Kennedy look bothers him, Zakowski said, "it should fuss everybody," and helium takes it into information erstwhile delivering sentences. However, Love-Kennedy's lawsuit is "about arsenic superior arsenic it gets," Zakowski said, and the "punishment has to acceptable the crime."

That punishment, Zakowski determined, should beryllium 10 years of intial confinement successful situation and 10 years of extended supervision aft release. Love-Kennedy apologized to the unfortunate done a missive work by his attorney, thing Zakowski said helium was gladsome to perceive aft speechmaking that Love-Kennedy continued to contradict his actions to the pre-sentence investigator.

"Quite frankly, Freddrick, if you hadn't apologized, I mightiness person added different twelvemonth conscionable to onslaught location the constituent that you person to instrumentality responsibility," Zakowski said.

Hopefully, successful a much constructive and confined setting, Love-Kennedy volition beryllium capable to mature and marque amended decisions, Zakowski said.

"Freddrick, someday I anticipation to spot you retired successful this community, with a job, feeling loved and being happy," Zakowski said. "I still, we inactive judge successful you."

Vivian Barrett is the nationalist information newsman for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. You tin scope her astatine [email protected] oregon (920) 431-8314. Follow her connected X, formerly Twitter, astatine @vivianbarrett_.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected Green Bay Press-Gazette: Freddrick Love-Kennedy of Green Bay sentenced successful 2024 shooting