The dad of a six-year-old boy who was shot dead is speaking out against the city of San Francisco's District Attorney after it emerged one of his son's killers is likely to be in jail for less time than his little boy was alive.
Jason Young's son, Jace, was killed on July 4, 2020 having been caught in gunfire while the pair were outside to watch a firework show in the city's Bayview District.
Jace was caught in crossfire and despite being rushed to hospital did not survive the shooting.
Two gunmen were quickly identified: 18-year-old James Harbor and 17-year-old Deshaune Lumpkin who was apprehended a year later.
But a campaign promise for all criminals under 18 to be tried as juveniles may mean one of the killers will spend less than a decade in jail while the other may be behind bars for most of his life.
Jace Young, 6, was fatally shot while watching Fourth of July fireworks in 2020 with his dad
Chesa Boudin, 41, became the city's District Attorney in January 2020. One of Boudin's key campaign promises was to never allow those who are under 18 to be tried as an adult, no matter how horrific the crime. It means one of Jace's killers may get less than eight years in jail
Lumpkin, who is now 18, was found guilty on Monday of the little boy's killing.
After a two-week hearing in juvenile court he was found guilty of four of the six counts against him. However, because he was tried as a juvenile he can only be sent to jail for a maximum of eight years until he is 25.
Harbor, on the other hand, who was an adult at the time of the killing faces a potential sentence of 50 years to life for Young's tragic death.
It has led to Jace's father, Jason, to speak out over the absurdity of the likely disparate penalties for his son's killers.
Young says the family is 'devastated' noting that one of Boudin's key campaign promises was to never allow those who are under 18 to be tried as an adult, no matter how horrific the crime.
Jace's father, Jason, pictured in July 2020 said 'The killer of my six-year-old son will likely serve less time than the age of my son because of Chesa's campaign promise.'
Jace was caught in crossfire and despite being rushed to hospital did not survive the shooting which happened in the Bayview district of San Francisco
'I am so angry with Chesa Boudin right now. He makes San Francisco's criminal justice system a complete joke,' Jason Young said.
'The killer of my six-year-old son will likely serve less time than the age of my son because of Chesa's campaign promise. Boudin's campaign promises do not protect San Franciscans and ensure justice – they only allow criminals, and in this case, murderers, to return to the community.
'Some wonder why the black community doesn't have faith in the justice system. We cannot help but feel that if this had happened to a white child in another neighborhood, we would not be having this discussion; we would not have this result from a dismissive, out-of-touch district attorney. At the very least there would be some real accountability in Jace's case,' Young maintained.
'Boudin's campaign promises do not protect San Franciscans and ensure justice – they only allow criminals, and murderers, to return to the community,' he said. Young, pictured in 2020
'As the cycle of violence continues in San Francisco, our family and everyone else affected by this senseless crime and lack of accountability is traumatized. To be a victim of crime in San Francisco is a complete nightmare under District Attorney Boudin. This is just another example of how he is failing our community and the city of San Francisco. This isn't justice for Jace, and this isn't what our city deserves either. No family should ever go through what we are going through,' he continued.
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