A 16-year-old Vancouver boy accused of shooting at two teens Thursday outside of Evergreen High School, prompting lockdowns at several area schools, appeared Friday in Clark County Superior Court.
Kikarson Asan is facing allegations of first-degree assault, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a deadly weapon on school grounds. He appeared virtually from the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center.
Judge John Fairgrieve set his bail at $500,000, and Asan is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 1.
Deputy Prosecutor Kelly Ryan said Asan has a pending juvenile case, in which he’s charged with theft of a motor vehicle, obstruction and third-degree malicious mischief.
“The state is very concerned for community safety, given what’s recited in the probable cause affidavit,” Ryan said.
In addition to bail, Ryan requested Asan be ordered to stay away from all Evergreen Public Schools properties. Fairgrieve granted the request.
Vancouver police responded at 1:08 p.m. to the campus at 14300 N.E. 18th St., in east Vancouver. When officers arrived, they found multiple shell casings on the ground between the school and football field, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Two witnesses told police that a male in all black shot at people who were running away, court records state.
School officials told officers they identified the person with the gun as Asan and two 15-year-old boys who were running away. Officials also told police one of the boys who ran away was affiliated with a gang, and they suspected the shooting was gang-related, according to the affidavit.
Vancouver police previously said they do not believe Asan was a student at Evergreen High School. There were no known injuries, according to a police statement.
Two staff members said they were outside and saw Asan pull a gun out of his waistband, chamber a round and fire. One said she was nearly in the line of fire when she heard him shoot multiple rounds. Neither of them reported seeing any others with guns, the affidavit states.
Police found Asan near the edge of school property and arrested him. They said he mentioned someone else having a gun, but he declined to say anything else to officers, according to court records.
School surveillance footage captured Asan shooting at the two teens. When the teens jumped over a fence, officers said it appeared Asan fired at them again, the affidavit states.
Asan could then be seen on the video running away before throwing the gun over a fence, into a forested area. Officers eventually recovered a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, according to court records.
Students were bused to the Evergreen Public Schools district office, where parents could pick them up. Evergreen Public Schools said Thursday it was cooperating with law enforcement.
“Please know we take these situations very seriously, and the safety of our students is always a top priority,” the district said.
Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency sent out a shelter-in-place alert to about 4,000 people who live within a 1-mile radius of the schools’ campus. Officials lifted the shelter in place around 2:40 p.m. Thursday.
