Bremerton shooting
The boy, seen here with his father and uncle in court last year, said he took the gun to school because he felt threatened by classmates. (AP Photo/File)

Charge dropped against boy who took gun to school

February 22, 2013 @ 12:01 am (Updated: 5:33 am - 2/22/13 )

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. (AP) - A judge in Washington state has dismissed a reckless endangerment charge against a young boy who brought to school a gun that discharged and critically wounded a classmate a year ago, in a case that drew widespread attention.

The Kitsap Sun reports that prosecution of the now 10-year-old boy was deferred if he met conditions that included writing an apology to the victim, attending counseling, keeping up with school and staying away from weapons.

The boy said he took the gun to school because he felt threatened by classmates. It was in his backpack when it discharged on Feb. 22, 2012, in Bremerton, Wash.

KOMO-TV says the boy addressed the court Thursday, thanking those who have helped him and saying he was "very sorry" for the family of the victim, Amina Kocer-Bowman. She survived.

Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Steve Dixon said he was optimistic he wouldn't see the boy back in court.

The victim's family is suing the Bremerton School District.


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Comments (4)


  • Add A Comment

  • xplanes wrote...
    yet again
    February 22, 2013 12:31 am
    The state of Washington refuses to deal with child criminals who actually hurt people, get caught with a gun and we gun owners who follow all the rules are being forced to accept more limits, taxes and threats from our government. As long as this state continues to give a pass to young criminals and property crimes where guns are stolen remain low priority and the mentally ill are free to walk the streets there will be no change in violent crime rates. Quit wasting time harassing gun owners who are doing nothing wrong and take actual crime seriously.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • MainEvent wrote...
    dude....
    February 22, 2013 6:03 am
    the kid was 10. You want him to be locked up throughout his entire childhood making him a career criminal?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Hectic wrote...
    Good
    February 22, 2013 7:03 am
    That was the right thing to do. The kid is not a criminal. Spending time locked up with real criminals would not help him at all, the only thing he would learn in jail is how to be a thug, and we don't need anymore of those.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • xplanes wrote...
    wow
    February 22, 2013 7:18 am
    Did I say give him life? Perhaps just filing charges and going through with a trial and minimum sentence? You know, a child illegally possessing a gun only gets a max of 30 days in juvy for the first FOUR convictions. Give me a break instead of the kid. Let's say I forget I have a gun in my backpack and walk into a courthouse where nobody gets hurt much less nearly dies. You think I'd get a break? This state is ready to make it a felony to do something that is currently legal to do with nobody being harmed or threatened. In this case someone almost dies and you are all like, "he's just a kid". Well, guns don't kill. kids do. And far too many of those.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }