Bremerton boy apologizes for school shooting
Apr 4, 2012, 10:41 AM | Updated: 6:43 pm
The Bremerton boy who brought a gun to school
that accidentally shot his third grade
classmate has now written her an apology that
has just been released.
“I’m sorry I hurt you because I brought a gun to school,”
begins the apology written by the 9-year-old boy.
The gun accidentally
went off, critically injuring his third-grade classmate
Amina Bowman.
The letter, handwritten on lined schoolbook paper, goes on
to to say, “I did not mean for any one to get hurt. I wish
no one got hurt. I wish you were out of the hospital
playing basketball and going back to school. I wish
everyone was okay.”
The letter was written as a part of his sentencing when
he pleaded guilty on March 6 to three misdemeanor charges for
the shooting.
The boy was expelled from school for one year and is
currently being home schooled. He is undergoing
counseling as part of his year-long probation.
Amina, 9, just returned home Tuesday after 41 days
at Harborview Medical Center, where she underwent five
surgeries. She still faces a long recovery ahead and
won’t return to school until at least the fall.
The boy’s mother, Jamie Lee Chaffin, 34, and her
boyfriend, Douglas L. Bauer, 50, have been charged with
third-degree assault for leaving the gun accessible to the
boy.
He brought it to school in his backpack, and it
accidentally discharged when he set the backpack on a
desk.
The boy is now living with his uncle in East Bremerton.
