MONROE, La. -- A teen convicted in the "Jena Six" beating case shot himself in the chest and was taken to the hospital Monday, days after his arrest on a shoplifting charge, police said.
Mychal Bell's wound isn't life threatening, said Monroe Police Sgt. Cassandra Wooten. The 18-year-old used a .22-caliber firearm in the shooting around 7:40 p.m., she said.
Wooten believes Bell was upset over media coverage of the arrest last week.
"I think he was upset over the incident ... and didn't want to be in the news again," she said.
Bell was arrested one month after he completed a sentence for his role in the beating of a fellow classmate, Justin Barker, at Jena High School in 2006. He was sentenced to 18 months for his part in the crime and also served a sentence for three previous unnamed crimes.
The Jena 6, which attracted sympathy and garnered petition signers and monetary donations, have endured a series of public embarrassments.
Earlier this year, Bryant Purvis was arrested following an altercation with a fellow student he believed had vandalized his car. In October, he and another Jena defendant, Carwin Jones, posed “like rap stars” at the BET Hip Hop Awards. Robert Bailey Jr. posted pictures of himself on MySpace with a wad of $100 bills stuffed in his mouth, igniting interest in the accounting of the donated legal funds.
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