Florida boy facing life for shooting

A court in the American state of Florida has ruled that a thirteen year-old boy accused of killing his schoolteacher last month should be tried as an adult.

The boy, Nathaniel Brazill, is alleged to have shot the teacher, Barry Grunow, after being sent home for misbehaving at a school in Lake Worth, north of Miami.

The decision means that if he is found guilty, he faces a life sentence without parole.

Demonstrators gathered outside the court to protest against the decision. It was the latest in a number of shootings in the United States, which have prompted calls for tougher gun controls.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service