NEWBURGH, N.Y. - A teenager has pleaded guilty to fatally shooting two young women and wounding five other people during a Halloween party in upstate New York last year.
The Times Herald-Record of Middletown reports 17-year-old Nija Johnson pleaded guilty Thursday in Orange County Court to two counts of second-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.
He admitted to opening fire during a party being held Oct. 30 in Newburgh, 55 miles north of New York City. Eighteen-year-old Omani Free and 20-year-old Tabitha Cruz were killed.
Johnson was taken into custody in Richmond, Virginia, a week after the shooting. He faces 40 years to life in prison.
Prosecutors say security video at the party venue showed Johnson opened fire with a .40-calibre pistol with an extended 20-round magazine. Authorities say none of the victims were his intended target.
