Gang-Involved Boston School Dean Ordered to Pay $10M to Student He Shot in the Head Over Marijuana

After being convicted of shooting a student in the back of the head at point-blank range, a school dean at a Boston high school has been ordered to pay him more than $10 million in emotional, medical and punitive damages, a judge ruled Friday. A once beloved educator with a background in youth ministry who students affectionately called “Rev,” Shaun Harrison was found to live a double life as a Latin Kings gang member, which he denies. He was convicted of trying to kill the 17-year-old student over poor sales in 2015 after recruiting him to sell marijuana in school. “The judgment against Mr. Harrison as an individual will ensure that he is never able to profit from any endeavors when he is released from prison, including selling the rights to this story for publication,” the student’s lawyer said in an email to the Associated Press. The bullet narrowly missed the student’s brain stem and carotid artery, but his jaw was shattered. He continues to have health issues, including requiring weights on his eyelids to help open and close them, and is paralyzed on half of his face. Harrison is also spending up to 26 years in prison after being convicted in 2018 of assault, among other charges.