On Monday, Da'Raveius Smith, now 18 years old, was sentenced for the 2022 shooting of a fellow student at Seminole High School. Smith entered a plea of no contest to charges including attempted first-degree murder and discharge of a weapon on school property. The sentence imposed was 15 years in prison, to be served concurrently across the charges, with a subsequent five-year probation period. Smith will receive credit for the 895 days already served, according to WFTV.
During the incident on January 19, 2022, the victim, high school football cornerback Jhavon McIntyre, sustained three gunshot wounds but survived. Records note from Sanford police reveal that the shooting arose from a disagreement over a deceased relative. Smith had been taunted by McIntyre but maintained that he was never threatened with violence, as reported by ClickOrlando.
Additionally, upon release, Smith will be required to strictly abide by probation conditions, among them wearing a GPS monitor and a prohibition from having firearms. Furthermore, he has to avoid any contact with the victim and his family and is banned from stepping foot on Semilole High School property. As part of the plea agreement, he also has to complete a mental health evaluation, anger management courses, and a life skills program.
The state decided to waive the 25-year minimum mandatory sentence usually associated with firearm discharge causing great bodily harm. Smith's past confrontations with McIntyre escalated into the tragic day at school, where Smith, claiming not to be scared but inexperienced in physical confrontation, resorted to gunfire as a means to settle the dispute.
