The Atlantic City man who allegedly could clear three others of gun charges after fleeing a fatal shooting at a high school football game pleaded not guilty Thursday.
But Tyrell Dorn likely will be taking a plea deal, his attorney told the judge.No offers have been made yet.
A car with Dorn and three other men was chased after leaving the Nov. 11 Pleasantville High School football game where 10-year-old Micah Tennant was mortally wounded.The boy, known to loved ones as Dew, died days later.
Dorn admitted to police that he threw a handgun out of the window as they fled a police stop.
"He's taking responsibility for it," Dorn's attorney, Michael Schreiber, said.
But he worries that it will be harder to get his client a fair plea deal since the arrest has been publicly linked to a child's death, even though none of the men in the car were charged with that crime.
"My client is devastated that people think he was involved," Schreiber previously said.
Under normal circumstances, Dorn's charges would carry a five year term with three years mandatory for the gun charge and five years with no parole for possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
Schreiber said he collected 26 news reports that tie the arrests of Dorn, Shahid Dixon, Vance Golden and Michael Mack to the killing.
Dixon has been remotely linked to the fatal event. He allegedly talked to the accused shooter, Alvin Wyatt, via Facetime from the game, telling Wyatt that Ibn Abdullah was in the stands.
Abdullah was Wyatt's alleged target. Abdullah also was in court Thursday.
He was wounded in the shooting, and was found in possession of a gun.
Abdullah has not yet been indicted. He was in a wheelchair at his first appearance.
