Santa Fe judge dismisses charges against teen in school shooting

A criminal judge in Santa Fe, Argentina, has dismissed charges against Gino C., a 15-year-old accused of killing 13-year-old Ian Cabrera during a shooting at Escuela Normal N° 40 Mariano Moreno in San Cristóbal.

Judge José Alberto Boaglio ruled that the teenager is not punishable under the laws in effect at the time of the March incident. While the court acknowledged the youth's material authorship of the crime, the legal age of criminal responsibility was 16 at the time of the attack. Although the Argentine Congress later lowered the age of accountability to 14, the judge noted that this reform cannot be applied retroactively to the detriment of the accused.

The Public Prosecutor's Office has appealed the decision, specifically contesting the judge's move to transfer the case from criminal court to family courts. Prosecutors argue that the case should remain within the criminal justice system despite the age of the perpetrator.