A teenage boy has been found guilty of killing his 14-year-old friend in Youngstown back in November.

The teen was found guilty of reckless homicide in the shooting death of 14-year-old Logan Taylor while Taylor was visiting the teen's Lucius Avenue home back in November of 2023.

The shooting happened on November 11, 2023 with Taylor being taken off life support in the hospital two days later.

The shooting was first thought to have been an accident, but police later charged the boy with murder after finding enough evidence to do so. That evidence was laid out in juvenile court documents.

During the trial, which took place July 16 and 17, the teen took the stand testifying that he was innocent, that he did not touch the gun and that Taylor had accidentally shot himself while playing with it.

However, court records show that evidence contradicted the teen's claims.

According to the judgment entry, body camera footage from police showed a folding chair the teen claimed to be sitting in folded and up against the wall. This contradicted claims from the teen, who said he was sitting in the folding chair and never moved it. 

"[The teen] could not have been sitting in the chair if it was folded against the wall the entire time," the entry reads.

Furthermore, testimony from the teen contradicted information given to police during an interview. In court, the teen testified that he took a picture of Taylor holding the gun.

However, body camera video from the initial interview with police revealed that the teen originally told police he did not take any pictures. 

"It stands to reason that one's memory is clearer closer to the incident than further away and the court finds that [the teen] was not being credible," the entry reads.

Finally, evidence showed traces of the teen's DNA on the gun, but no trace of Taylor's DNA, which contradicted the claim that Taylor was playing with the gun.

Additionally, the entry notes that the teens gave a conflicting story of the positioning of the gun claiming Taylor shot himself in the head while sitting in a gaming chair facing the screen holding the gun to his head with both hands.

However, the judgment entry says this does not line up with the bullet's direction of entry nor does it align with the spent shell casing.

"If [Taylor] did shoot himself, the spent casing would be found to [his] left. But the shell casing was found to [his] right. The location of the spent shell casing indicates that the gun was pointed at [Taylor] from above [his] head by someone else," the entry reads.

Finally, the court noted that the teen's demeanor during his testimony was not indicative of a truthful person.

The judgment entry says the teen reversed the roles in the story with him being the one playing with the gun and Taylor being the one playing the video game.

Originally, the teen was charged with murder with firearm specifications.

However, the court determined that reckless homicide was a more appropriate charge. The court says the two were clearly best friends and this was not a case of intentional murder, but a case of reckless behavior that led to the shooting.

No sentencing date has been set for the teen yet. He is to remain in the juvenile justice center while he awaits his sentencing.