One suspect in last weekend’s shooting death of a 12-year-old boy was arrested two years ago for an armed robbery.
A second suspect has his own criminal history that includes possessing a deadly weapon.
Both suspects are just 15 years old.
Both are now potentially facing a life-long prison sentence.
They are now charged with an array of crimes, including aggravated murder. Prosecutors intend to ask a judge to try the teens as adults, which could end with a sentence of life in prison.
And while the community mourns the loss of Abdel Bashiti, others are also cautioning that the shooting is more proof of Cleveland’s juvenile crime problem.
The shooting coincides with a study released in September by USA Today that places Cleveland ninth in the U.S. for juveniles killed or injured by gunfire.
"It is clear to everybody within this community that we have an epidemic of youth violence," Prosecutor Mike O’Malley told reporters this week.
The study focuses on shootings since 2014 in cities with populations above 50,000. Cleveland has seen a rash of violent shootings by teens, many against fellow teens. Others have involved teens shooting indiscriminately and injuring younger bystanders.
“Just running and shooting guns? In the middle of the day time. Who does that?” one woman told Channel 3 News.
Khalid Samaad has worked the streets of Cleveland for more than four decades as a peace activist. He’s witnessed the rise and intensity of juvenile crime.
He says it’s cultural and societal. Families torn apart. Fathers not fathering. Music and social media endorsing violence and drugs.
Samaad says shooting someone, or getting shot, is now a “badge of honor” for Cleveland youth.
"It's so acceptable that young men who get shot on the street can't wait to go to school and walk through the halls and people know they got shot,” he said.
He said Cleveland teens view others as neighborhood rivals. An address alone is reason to shoot and kill.
"I go to all the prisons in the state of Ohio. Cleveland has the largest male population in every prison in Ohio," he said.
He believes the shooting of Abdel is a culmination of the juvenile violence corrupting the city.
“You turn on [the radio] and the rappers are on there telling people to shoot each other, rob each other and do what they want to do on the streets, so this [shooting] is a product of that,” he said.