14 year old indicted in July shooting involving police officer

By Linda Cicoira

A 14-year-old seventh grader from Parksley was indicted Monday by a Northampton grand jury on counts of the attempted aggravated murder of a county police officer in the Cheriton area last July.

Despite his young age, Jamarion Javion S. Lafferty will be tried as an adult because of the seriousness of the eight charges against him, the court record stated. He could face more than 75 years in prison or be held for seven years in juvenile detention until the case and his progress is reviewed by a judge.

Lafferty’s mother, who is serving time for welfare fraud, told authorities her son started hanging around with some older boys when he was 11, which she discouraged. At 13, he admitted to Maryland police that he was affiliated with the street gang, Eastside Blood Gang Villains.

On July 30, Lt. S. Lewis and other officers from the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office, were investigating two drive-by shootings that occurred around Cheriton. Lewis was in his unmarked squad car when three males got out of an SUV and started shooting at him.

Lewis’s vehicle was hit twice by gunfire. An investigator retrieved 31 bullet shell casings from the scene.

Lafferty was indicted on two counts of attempted aggravated murder, malicious shooting by a mob, attempted malicious bodily injury of Lewis, maliciously shooting at an occupied vehicle, reckless handling of a firearm when attempting to murder or wound a police officer, use of a firearm in a felony, and possession of a firearm when under 18 years old.

“Jamarion reportedly had a weapon during the time of these offenses,” court records stated. “These offenses were allegedly committed willfully in an aggressive and violent manner. He reportedly fired the weapon at the victim multiple times. These factors demonstrate the incident was potentially premeditated.”

The teenager was detained on Aug. 24 and later released. He then failed to show up for a hearing and managed to hide from police for about three months. In January, a judge in the juvenile and domestic relations court sent the file to the circuit court.

Lafferty is taking seventh grade classes at the juvenile detention center in Norfolk. He last attended school at Arcadia Middle School.