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Boy, 15, Charged In Ohio School Shooting Pleads Not Guilty

Boy charged with attempted murder in a school shooting near Middletown pleads not guilty.

A 15-year-old boy accused of shooting and wounding two students in an Ohio school cafeteria has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted murder.

James Austin Hancock's attorney entered the not-guilty plea Friday in Butler County Juvenile Court. The teen is charged in the Feb. 29 shooting at a Madison Local Schools campus near Middletown. He was indicted Wednesday as a juvenile under a serious youthful offender classification on counts of attempted murder, felonious assault and inducing panic.

Hancock's attorney declined to comment Friday. Hancock was 14 at the time of the shooting.

Law enforcement officials haven't revealed a motive.

Hancock will remain in juvenile detention awaiting an April 5 pretrial hearing.

The Associated Press generally doesn't identify juveniles charged with crimes, but Hancock's name has been widely reported.

The AP is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers.