Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

To get started, first

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Prosecutor: Probation in school shooting case

    Associated Press – Sat, Feb 25, 2012

    BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) — A Washington state prosecutor says his office will seek probation and treatment for a 9-year-old boy who took to school a gun that accidentally discharged and critically injured a classmate this past week.

    Kitsap County prosecutor Russ Haugen told the Kitsap Sun (http://bit.ly/xxO2q5) Friday that "nobody is trying to lock this little boy up." He said prosecutors hope to hold the boy accountable not through incarceration, but rather probation, treatment and other services.

    The third-grader faces charges of unlawful possession of a gun, bringing a dangerous weapon to school and third-degree assault. He is facing a capacity hearing in which a judge will determine if he knew what he did was wrong. If the judge decides the boy knew, the charges go forward.

    An 8-year-old classmate — Amina Kocer-Bowman — was wounded. She is in a Seattle hospital in critical condition after undergoing surgeries.

    Few additional details of the case have been released, though the investigation may include a look at how the boy got the .45-caliber pistol that went off in his backpack.

    Hauge said his office is working with the investigative agencies involved in the shooting.

    Police believe the boy got the gun during a weekend visit with his mother, Jamie Lee Chaffin.

    According to court documents, Chaffin has been convicted of forgery and drug crimes. As a felon, her right to own a firearm was revoked. She completed court-ordered drug treatment, and no additional criminal charges were filed against her after 2007.

    The boy's father, Jason Cochran, has been convicted of violating protection orders relating to Chaffin and has been taken to court for child support.

    Both parents relinquished custody of the boy and his two sisters to his paternal grandmother. She died shortly after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2010, and the boy's uncle Patrick Cochran was granted custody.

    The boy's family bailed him out of juvenile detention and took him to his uncle's home Thursday night. Bail had been set at $50,000. The boy will remain under house arrest and must check in daily with the county juvenile department.

     
    • Ncbeachbum
      Ncbeachbum  •  Seattle, Washington  •  3 mths ago
      There has been a fund set up for Amina at Bank of America. She will be in the hospital for atleast three weeks and her recovery will take years. At this point the bullit is still lodged in her spine. Please pray for her and her family.
      • D.
        D. 3 mths ago
        Who are you asking us to pray to ???????? The false god of a cops badge ?
      • Stella
        Stella 3 mths ago
        Thankyou for reminding us about the little girl. So often all the focus is on
        the wrong person. And I will pray for her.
      • nunya
        nunya 3 mths ago
        D you are the very definition of the word #$%$. Congratulations on taking a fine and decent thought and putting some stupid spin on it. Crawl back under your rock, will ya?
    • George
      George  •  Killeen, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      The original story said that the gun was in his backpack and discharged for some reason. It did not say he was playing with it, pointed it at his class mate and pulled the trigger. Yes he should have known not to bring a gun to school but 9 year old kids do not usually think about consequences before doing a lot of things. One consequence will be the knowledge that he hurt a classmate which will probably haunt him the rest of his life. A functional home would be a good start as well as gun safety training.
      • Cowboy
        Cowboy 3 mths ago
        the gun had to be cocked b4 it could go off, it just did not magicaly happen, more to this story than being told
      • AJ
        AJ 3 mths ago
        Depends on the make and model.
      • D.
        D. 3 mths ago
        Figures some some gun freak would name himself " cowboy "
    • Robinski
      Robinski  •  3 mths ago
      Probation?...no, the best thing the courts can do for this child is to get him as far away from his "family" as possible..this is a travesty.
      • D.
        D. 3 mths ago
        And then JAIL THE GOVERNMENT #$%$ WHO PUT THE POOR KID IN A JAIL ORANGE JUMPSUIT. Government power freaks are never ending stupid.
      • Maria
        Maria 3 mths ago
        The only way the court can make sure the child gets the help he needs is to put him on probation. If not do you think anyone in his family will make him participate in a program?
      • Robinski
        Robinski 3 mths ago
        Well Maria, if he is taken from that "family" it might save his life, and the state does not have the responsibility of forcing the parents to participate in anything. My husband worked family law for 30 years, and the court system has an obligation to the minor child, and that same system has failed those children miserably in the guise of "parental rights"
    • reefers the clown
      reefers the clown  •  Gainesville, Florida  •  3 mths ago
      what a sad short life this little boy has had and how terrible for the little girl and her family
    • Citizen
      Citizen  •  3 mths ago
      This is weird. A 9-year old is facing charges, and no word about the adult whose gun was available to the child?
      • D.
        D. 3 mths ago
        A 9 year old placed into a felony orange jail jumpsuit by government idiots.
      • M
        M 3 mths ago
        years ago a kid stole a gun from his grandfather and killed some school kids and they arrested the grandfather too for alowing him access to the guns so why not this super dad?
    • Yahoo user
      Yahoo user  •  3 mths ago
      Nothing in the reports that I have read indicate that this is a malicious child. He is a product of some horrific upbringing. The best way to help this child is not probation but to see that he is placed in a home with love, a clear set of rules, and outside activities to engage him. Most importantly this child should never be around his biological parents who are only parents because they mated.
      • TMF
        TMF 3 mths ago
        I couldn't agree more. My dad used to say "It takes more to be a parent than to screw one in" Tacky but true.
      • D.
        D. 3 mths ago
        Exactly. The government #$%$ in the DA office further traumatized the poor kid with their idiotic power play and orange jail jumpsuit.
    • Terry C
      Terry C  •  Little Rock, Arkansas  •  3 mths ago
      who ever owned the gun needs to be charged with reckless endangerment.
    • The Lone Biker
      The Lone Biker  •  3 mths ago
      very sad story...........another casualty of a broken home.....an irresponsible mother and an irreponsible father........the kid is bound for a rotten childhood and not to much hope for the future. sad stuff.
    • Freecycler
      Freecycler  •  3 mths ago
      Good lord, how about NO charges for the kid, but do something about the meth-head mother who leaves a loaded gun around!
    • figure8
      figure8  •  Big Lake, Alaska  •  3 mths ago
      The parents should do jail time!
    • jp
      jp  •  Plano, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      Who ever owned the gun should go to jail.
    • TOMORROWS HERE
      TOMORROWS HERE  •  Phoenix, Arizona  •  3 mths ago
      And i hope the mother gets 10 years!
    • Kay
      Kay  •  Mars, Pennsylvania  •  3 mths ago
      The greater responsibility lies with whoever left this loaded gun where a nine year old had access to it and, apparently, didn't even notice that it was gone. He's only behaving like the adults in his life. You learn what you live with.
    • Anonymous
      Anonymous  •  Santa Clara, California  •  3 mths ago
      You need a license to drive. You need a license to own a gun. But no license needed to parent a child, go figure. It's a wonder why we have $%!#-for-brains people out there breeding and not taking any accountability for their offspring. Poor kid doesn't stand a chance in an environment like that.
    • mary
      mary  •  Houston, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      I pray the little girl gets better. I hope the little boy gets the help he needs. No role models in his life probably after the grandmother passed.
    • Master Yoda
      Master Yoda  •  3 mths ago
      This is just STUPID. Folks, if you want to bear arms, keep the gun and the ammo LOCKED away from your KIDS. They need to toss the mom in jail for the injuries caused to another family's little girl and get this poor boy a new family.
    • Fred
      Fred  •  Meriden, Connecticut  •  3 mths ago
      I hope that he receives the help he probably needs when dealing with the aftermath of shooting a classmate. The parents definitely need help in the "parenting dept"....who allows their child to have access to a firearm?? They should be charged as accessories in this matter.
    • Daron
      Daron  •  South Sioux City, Nebraska  •  3 mths ago
      Seek the jail sentence for the mother who did not lock up the gun...the boy doesn't need the punishment...
    • Irmern
      Irmern  •  Smithfield, North Carolina  •  3 mths ago
      Let's see.......Mom is a druggie, Dad's a druggie and felon. This kid needs to be taken away from this environment permanently ! Find him a good foster home and let someone with some sense raise him.
    • milton b
      milton b  •  3 mths ago
      charges should be leveled against the mother and she should be put in jail. Why did she have a gun just laying around? did she need it for the quick occasional stick up for drug money?
     Post a comment
    [ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
    [ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

    News For You

    Loading...