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Nancy Lebens
ST. PAUL, Minn.

Teen pleads guilty to 2011 shooting homicide

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A teenager pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing 13-year old RayJon Gomez in 2011.

Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman said Derrick Catchings was 15 when he fired a gun and hit Gomez, who had been riding his bike in a north Minneapolis alley.

Catchings, who will turn 17 in two weeks, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. A 12-year old with Gomez was also shot, but survived.

A press release from the county attorney says Catchings admitted in court on the day of Gomez' death that he set out with several others to find a gang member to exact revenge for the wounding of one of Catching's friends. After the killing, the teen said he realized he had shot the wrong person. Catchings faces a sentence of 38 years in prison.

"We think this is a good resolution to an almost incomprehensible crime," Freeman said in the statement.