Bremerton girl shot at school lucky to be alive; classmate charged

Doctors say an 8-year-old girl who was shot in the abdomen
in an accidental shooting at a Bremerton elementary school
on Wednesday is lucky to be alive.

Amina Bowman remains in critical condition at Harborview
Medical Center in Seattle, where she underwent hours of
surgery to repair massive internal organ damage that
caused significant blood loss.

“She has extensive injuries in the abdomen that are going
to require a number of surgeries to reconstruct,” said Dr.
Eileen Bulger, the surgeon who treated Amina in the
emergency room.

The third grader remains in intensive care under sedation
and is breathing with the help of a ventilator.

“She’s been alert at times and knows and responds to me,
her mother and grandmother when we’re in the room. She’s
kind of coherent and aware of what’s going on,” Amina’s
father, John Bowman, told reporters at Harborview on Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the 9-year-old boy who police say carried a
backpack with a loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic Heckler
and Koch pistol inside is being held at the Kitsap County
Juvenile Detention Center on $50,000 bail.

Charging documents say investigators believe the boy
likely got the gun during a visit with his mother last
weekend.

“I just want everyone to know that my kid made a mistake.
It was a terrible mistake,” the boy’s father, Jason
Cochran, said outside the courthouse.

If the bail is met, the boy would be released to his
uncle, who is his legal guardian and who also sat by his
side in the courthouse.

“He’s a good kid. It’s all I can say,” said his uncle, Patrick Cochran. “I apologize to the family of that girl. I really
do.”

The boy apparently slammed the bag down on a desk and then
the gun fired. The bullet hit Amina Bowman in the arm,
breaking several bones before penetrating her abdomen.
Armin Jahr Elementary went into immediate lockdown for
about a half an hour until the scene was secured.

The boy appeared frightened and was tearful as he appeared
in juvenile court. He’s charged with unlawful possession
of a firearm, bringing a dangerous weapon onto school
grounds, and third degree assault.

One student told investigators he was “going to bring his
dad’s gun to school and run away,” according to the
certification of probably cause.

Doctors at Harborview say Amina will require several more
operations and spend weeks in the hospital. They are planning
another surgery on Friday to re-evaluate the injuries and
begin to reconstruct the damaged organs.

The bullet was lodged in the musculature near the spine,
so doctors say they won’t need to remove it. There is no
apparent spinal damage but more tests are planned.

“It’s difficult. Anybody who has kids knows that you’d do
anything to take away the pain she’s feeling right now and
take it onto yourself and that’s how I feel and my wife
feels the same way,” Bowman said.

A trust fund to help offset the costs of medical care has
been established. Donations to the Amina Kocer Bowman
trust can be made at any Bank of America branch.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.