Attorney: Teen charged in boy's death fired in self-defense

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) - The attorney for a teenager charged with killing of an 11-year-old Indiana boy says his client was acting in self-defense when he fired the shot that struck the boy.

Defense attorney John Cantrell says 17-year-old Sherquell D. Magee was at an East Chicago park when he was "jumped" by several juveniles, some of whom had weapons.

Cantrell tells The (Northwest Indiana) Times that Magee fired the gun in self-defense May 5 after being attacked in the park while he was alone.

The bullet missed his intended target but struck David L. Anderson in the head. The East Chicago boy died the next day at a Chicago hospital.

Magee, who's charged as an adult, was formally arraigned in a Lake County courtroom Tuesday on murder, attempted murder and attempted battery charges.

___

Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com