Lizzie Kaboski

CROWN POINT — A Hammond teenager was sentenced to 15 years in prison Friday for fatally shooting a man after a skirmish over stolen bikes.

Kayden McClure, 17, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, a level two felony, in the death of 21-year-old Julian Valdez. Level two felonies carry a possible sentence between 10 to 30 years in prison. The plea stipulated McClure would receive 15 years.

A then-14-year-old McClure and his cousin stole two bikes June 19, 2022, from Edison Park in Hammond. They rode off until they had to stop after the chain fell off one of the bikes, according to McClure's plea agreement. By that point, the bikes' owners, one being Valdez, had caught up to them.

McClure gave the bike he was riding back to one of the owners, but his cousin did not. Val

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