A.C. man convicted of shooting teens over sneakers

An Atlantic City man was convicted of attempted murder Friday for shooting two teenage cousins over a pair of sneakers.

Roger Howard, 21, was arrested in December 2012 after authorities found him hiding inside the bedroom of a Mays Landing home.

Prosecutors said Howard is responsible for a shooting that occurred Oct. 13, 2012 during a robbery on North Indiana Avenue.

The victims, then aged 18 and 19, told police they were walking home from a convenience store when a man approached and demanded their shoes. When they tried to run away, the suspect opened fire.

Both teens were shot in the legs. One of the victims said that, after the shooting, the gunman took the Air Jordan sneakers off his feet before walking away.

Howard was found guilty of two counts each of attempted murder and robbery and six counts of aggravated assault, along with weapons possession offenses.

Each attempted murder and robbery charge is punishable by a 10- to 20-year jail term. Howard will be required to serve 85 percent of any sentence before he's eligible for parole.

Howard is due in court April 25 to be sentenced. He is currently lodged at the Atlantic County Jail, where he's serving an unrelated three-year prison term after being convicted last January of unlawful handgun possession.