PORT ORCHARD, Wash. (AP) — A 9-year-old Washington boy who brought a gun that discharged and critically wounded a fellow third-grader at school has been sentenced to 12 months of probation and ordered to write a letter of apology to his victim.
The boy’s classmate, 8-year-old Amina Kocer-Bowman, remains in serious condition at a Seattle hospital after she was struck Feb. 22 in her midsection and arm.
At a court hearing Tuesday, the boy was also told to undergo 48 hours of counseling.
Prosecutors dropped third-degree assault charges, but the boy pleaded guilty to and was sentenced on misdemeanor charges that included unlawful possession of a gun and bringing a dangerous weapon to school.
The .45 caliber handgun fired in a classroom at a Bremerton school after the boy slammed his backpack on a desk.
