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Omaha teenager charged with murder as adult

Two teens are being charged as adults in the murder of a 64-year-old man in Omaha earlier this week. They are among four juveniles accused of shooting Mursal Jama at an apartment complex near 94th Plaza and Cady Court late Tuesday night. Previous coverage: Omaha police arrest 4 juveniles on multiple charges, including murder Douglas County Prosecutor Don Kleine said 17-year-old Trenton Titsworth-Hunt and 14-year-old Joseph Keyes will be charged as adults. Their court date is set for 9 a.m. Friday. Both face numerous charges, including murder. Two other juveniles, an 11- and 13-year-old, are also charged with murder, but the 13-year-old cannot be charged as an adult because of his age and the 11-year-old cannot even be detained because he is legally too young. The 13-year-old appeared in juvenile court Thursday and will remain in custody. Prosecutors argued the 13-year-old was in possession of one of at least three firearms present during the fatal shooting. They said because of that and his alleged involvement in two armed robberies Tuesday night, he poses a serious threat to the public. Video: Teens try to rob men at Omaha gas station, hours before murder. The judge also ordered the 13-year-old to have no contact with co-defendants. The 11-year-old waived a hearing. On Thursday, police announced the arrest of a 16-year-old boy who is charged with manslaughter, two counts of robbery, three counts of using a weapon to commit a crime, possession of a weapon as a minor and two warrants for unauthorized absence. KETV NewsWatch 7 is not naming the defendants because they were not charged as adults, but both have had previous trouble with the law. READ MORE: Officials believe juvenile suspects in west Omaha murder case were involved in robbery earlier that night Three days before the fatal shooting, the 13-year-old reportedly escaped from his court-ordered confinement. Just one day before the shooting, authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. The 11-year-old's most recent altercations included alleged theft of two vehicles and possession of a handgun by a minor. “That is sometimes dangerous to the public and it is dangerous to these individuals. So when I bring that up, I'm not saying we want to send the 11-year-old to jail. I think we want a significant punishment for that individual in the court system,” Kleine said. “If they run away from home and they're under 13, we can't put them in custody. They're just going to keep doing things like that. They're stealing cars, they're shooting. They think it's a joke,” said Douglas County Assistant Prosecutor Brenda Beadle. “We need to look at our other youth who have had contact with police and, you know, gotten into some minor trouble per se, and we need to reach out to them and put them in programs and services and work with their families before the situation escalates,” said Tamika Mease, with the North Omaha Community Partnership.She said youth are constantly exposed to violence and trauma, even if it's just through social media, so crime becomes a sort of sport for kids. And the risk factors aren't perceived. “It's like riding a bike. Instead. It's like car theft,” Mease said.Kleine said there were six “young people” involved in total and this was her alleged second attack of the night.Click here for the latest headlines from KETV NewsWatch 7

OMAHA, Nebraska —

Two teenagers are being charged as adults in the murder of a 64-year-old man in Omaha earlier this week.

They are among four teenagers accused of shooting Mursal Jama late Tuesday night in an apartment complex near 94th Plaza and Cady Court.

Previous coverage: Omaha police arrest 4 teens on multiple charges, including murder

Douglas County Prosecutor Don Kleine said 17-year-old Trenton Titsworth-Hunt and 14-year-old Joseph Keyes will be charged as adults and are scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. Friday.

Both face numerous charges, including murder.

Two other juveniles, an eleven-year-old and a thirteen-year-old, are also accused of murder. However, the thirteen-year-old cannot be charged as an adult because of his age, and the eleven-year-old cannot even be incarcerated because he is legally too young.

The 13-year-old appeared before juvenile court on Thursday and remains in custody.

Prosecutors argued that the 13-year-old was in possession of one of at least three firearms used during the fatal shooting. They said that because of that and his alleged involvement in two armed robberies on Tuesday night, he posed a serious threat to the public.

Video: Teens try to rob men at Omaha gas station, hours before murder

The judge also ordered that the 13-year-old may not have any contact with co-defendants.

The eleven-year-old waived his hearing.

On Thursday, police announced the arrest of a 16-year-old boy. He is accused of manslaughter, two counts of robbery, three counts of using a weapon to commit a crime and possession of a weapon as a minor. There are also two arrest warrants for unauthorized absence.

KETV NewsWatch 7 is not naming the defendants because they were not charged as adults, but both have had previous run-ins with the law.

READ MORE: Officials believe juvenile suspects in murder cases were involved in west Omaha robbery earlier that night

Three days before the fatal shooting, the 13-year-old is said to have escaped from his court-ordered detention. Just one day before the shooting, authorities issued an arrest warrant for him.

The most recent incidents against the eleven-year-old allegedly involved the theft of two vehicles and the possession of a handgun by a minor.

“It's dangerous for the public sometimes and it's dangerous for these individuals. So when I bring this up, I'm not saying we want to send the 11-year-old to prison. I think we want the legal process to have significant consequences for this person,” Kleine said.

“If they run away from home and they're not yet 13 years old, we can't take them into custody. They're just going to keep doing these things. They're stealing cars, they're shooting. They think this is a joke,” said Brenda Beadle, assistant Douglas County prosecutor.

“We need to reach out to our other youth who have had contact with police and gotten into minor trouble. We need to reach out to them, offer them programs and services and work with their families before the situation escalates,” said Tamika Mease of the North Omaha Community Partnership.

She said that young people are constantly exposed to violence and trauma, even if it is only through social media, so crime becomes a kind of sport for children. And the risk factors are not perceived.

“It's like riding a bicycle. Instead, it's like car theft,” Mease said.

Kleine said a total of six “young people” were involved and that this was their alleged second attack that night.

Click here for the latest headlines from KETV NewsWatch 7

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