The baby-faced student who bought a loaded .45 to his Seattle elementary school cried his eyes out while sitting in a court room. The student is accused of accidentally shooting a girl in his third-grade class.
STORY: Holy Jeez! 8-Year-Old Shot At Seattle Elementary School
Sitting in an orange jumpsuit, the 9-year-old boy allegedly shot 8-year-old Amina Kocer-Bowman when he hid a loaded handgun in his backpack that accidentally went off, striking Amina in her stomach.
Amina remains in critical condition after having surgery on a bullet wound in her stomach, authorities said.
According to News 5, the third grader was arrested and charged with suspicion of unlawful possession of a gun, bringing a dangerous weapon to school and third-degree assault. He’s currently being held at Kitsap County juvenile detention centre after his bail was set at $50,000 during the preliminary hearing yesterday.
The boy’s father, Jason Cochran, said outside the courthouse:
“I just want everyone to know that my kid made a mistake. It was a terrible mistake. He’s a good kid. It’s all I can say, I apologize to the family of that girl. I really do.”
Then added: “I just want him back home.”
According to police officials the boy brought the .45-caliber handgun he found at his mother’s house to the elementary school in Bremerton on Wednesday.
He was planning on running away, according to court documents which revealed that the boy told a classmate five days ago that he was going to bring his ‘dad’s gun’ to school and run away.
The gun discharged after the boy slammed his backpack down on a desk, it was reported. Officials said both the child’s mother and father have criminal records.
Jamie Lee Chaffin, the boy’s mother, was arrested for possession of meth in Bremerton, but pleaded guilty to a drug paraphernalia charge in 2005.
Armin Jahr Elementary School, which has about 400 students, has since reopened and three counselors were available to talk to teachers, students and parents.
As for young Amina, Doctors said that she will likely be in the hospital for several weeks and face further surgeries. She was sedated and on a ventilator but has woken up and interacted with her parents. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with young Amina.
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