Evening star., 1952-01-03
Court Action Awaits
BoyCIeared al Inquest
In Stray-Shot Death

III SlIdy-JnOI UedIn
Juvenile Court action confronts
Lloyd Wallace Adams, 15-year-
old Schoolboy involved in the New
Years eve stray-shot Staying of
a housewife.
A coroner's jury yesterday
failed to refer the case to the
court. It ruled the Staying an &C.
cident.
But police went to Juvenile
Court themselves today with a
charge against the youth of
illegally discharging flrearm.
And Corporation Counsel Ver-
non E. West said this would have
the effect of bringing the Staying
itself before the court, despite
the youths exoneration by the
coroner's jury.
A bullet killed Mrs. Ollie Estep,
Al. colored, few minutes after
midnight on New Years eve as
she sat in her living room at
1O14 D street Sc. Young Adams
admitted to the Six-man coroner's
jury that he fired a .22-caliber
rifle three times straight out the
window" about that time. He lives
at 1912 Pennsylvania avenue Sc,
400 feet from the Estep home.
Two Shots Skyward.
The youth, an Eastern High
School student, also admitted fir
ing two other shots from third
moor window a few minutes ear
lier, but he said the gun then |
was aimed toward the. sky.
Asked about his motive, he
stated:
I guess it was just the thought
OF making noise and celebrating
New Years."
Assistant Corporation Counsel
Richard w. Barton, Juvenile Court
prosecutor, said he intends to press
the case in court despite the action
OF the coroner's jury. The jury
makes only a preliminary dispo-
Sltlon of homicide cases, and it's
action is not binding on the cor
poration counsels Office, he ex-
planned.
A manslaughter charge could be
brought against the youth. Even
under the lesser firearm charge,
ne could be committed to the Ma
tional Training School until he is
81. But Mr. Barton said he con-
sidered such a stiff penalty I'M
probable. Probation in the Gus
tody of parents is more likely,
he said
Will Await Inquiry.
The prosecutor said he will not
decide on the exact court charge
until after an investigation by a
probation officer The young de-
fendant would be entitled to jury $
trial in a manslaughter case, he {
said. E
Hugh j. MCGEE, assistant i
United States Attorney who sat K
in on yesterdays inquest, said a t
charge of involuntary manslaugh-
ter would have been probable l
against an adult defendant. He
added that, in his opinion, a SINH
lar case against an adult would
warrant presentation to the grand
jury, even if the coroner's juryEII
dropped it.
Young Adams frankly told the :
Jury he planned in advance to
shoot his rife off in observance y
of New Years. He obtained the /,
gun as a Christmas gift a year y
ago and had done some hunting y
with it, he said, but he asserted :,
he never had discharged it from
a window before.
He denied aiming at anything. !,
Specifically, he denied aiming at :.
a street light near the EStep :
home, which police said was al D.
most directly in the line Of fire :,
Of the fatal bullet. u
In firing each of the last three g.
bullets, he asserted, he put the ),
butt Of the gun between his up -
per arm and body and "juSt held >,
1t straight out the window" - -
Not Sure of Direction. q
Asked if he thought the bullet q
could have gone toward the Estep c
living room, he declared:
1T might have gone down or G
up-I don't know which way" o
Homicide Sergt. Lloyd B. Furr :
testified that test in daylight h
had shown it was impossible to
see any one standing at the win
dow through which the fatal bull
let passed It also was unlikely D
that a red Christmas light in the
window would have appeared as a a
good target, he said. The youth il
earlier had denied shooting at such j
q target. a
Mark Neil Batten, Is, of 1880 c
G street Sc, a schoolmate, cor +
roborated young Adams testimony h
that the first two of his five shots a
were aimed skyward. The school, o
mate said he was present at the