A Vermilion County Circuit Court jury on Wednesday found a Danville teenager not guilty of charges stemming from a shooting in June of last year. Fifteen-year-old Daniel Sanders had been charged as an adult with aggravated discharge of a firearm involving a vehicle.
The jury’s verdict clearing the youth of the charge ended a two day trial before Circuit Judge Thomas Oshaughnessy. Upon the conclusion of the evidence in the case the judge denied a defense motion for a directed verdict of acquittal. Sanders decided he would not take the stand to testify in his own defense.
The charge was lodged after an incident in which a 16-year-old boy was critically wounded at Danville’s Garfield Park. Public Safety Director Larry Thomason said at the time that officers found the injured youth when they responded to reports of shots fired in the 800 block of Griffin Street. Police received reports that some females had been arguing near where the shots were heard. And as officers approached the area a large group of individuals ran from the park during that June 8th, 2016 incident.
