Knoxville Student Murder Not Gang-Related

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A police spokesman in Knoxville says investigators believe they know what motivated one high school student to fatally shoot another.

Darrell DeBusk said Friday that the killing of 15-year-old Ryan McDonald the day before had "nothing to do with being gang-related or racially-motivated."

He said police won't say specifically what the motive was, but said it was based on a brief statement that 15-year-old suspect Jamar Siler made to a police officer.

DeBusk said the motive won't be revealed until a hearing scheduled for Aug. 28.

Knox County School System Superintendent Jim McIntyre said in a news conference late Thursday that Central High School would be open primarily to counsel traumatized students and those not attending will receive an excused absence.

A number of teenagers watched in horror as Ryan McDonald clutched his chest and fell to the floor when he was shot shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday in the school cafeteria.

Suspected shooter Jamar Siler, was taken into custody minutes later on a nearby street.

Police spokesman Darrell DeBusk said the 15-year-old was charged with one count of first-degree murder and was being held without bond in a juvenile detention facility. His public defender has declined to discuss the case.

McDonald was a sophomore who lived with his grandmother and had a medical condition that left him bald and the target of endless teasing as a child.

His uncle Roger McDonald said the youth "tried to have a tough exterior" because of that. He called his nephew "a good kid ... who was dealt some bad cards in life."