GUILTY WA - Jamie Chaffin for child endangerment, Bremerton, 2012

[jjenny]

Such a little guy:

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-n...f/2012/02/crying_third-grader_appears_in.html

With a big gun. The poor child he accidentally shot faces multiple surgeries.

 

[katydid23]

From details in the article linked above, this little guy was most likely prenatally exposed to meth. He recently lost his adoptive mother to death; his grandmother, and he's been shuttled around to other family members. He lives separately from his mother. Most likely, he's in a regular ed classroom where teachers and staff struggle with his acting out and anger.

And a gun was available to him.

A recipe for disaster.

I am laying most of the blame towards whomever left a loaded gun around the boy. That was irresponsible to say the least. Someone should be charged for that oversight, imo.

I can see that he had no malice towards that little classmate. He seems devastated by what happened. I feel sorry for both those kids. :rose:

 

[jjenny]

I am laying most of the blame towards whomever left a loaded gun around the boy. That was irresponsible to say the least. Someone should be charged for that oversight, imo.

I can see that he had no malice towards that little classmate. He seems devastated by what happened. I feel sorry for both those kids. :rose:

Whether he had malice or not, she is shot just the same. This boy sounds like a very troubled child (presumably because of his upbringing).

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Hes a baby.
He did not mean to shoot the girl.
To see him ripped from his uncle and put in an orange prison jumpsuit and treated like a murderer makes me sad.
Surely there is a better way to treat this child.

 

[jjenny]

Hes a baby.
He did not mean to shoot the girl.
To see him ripped from his uncle and put in an orange prison jumpsuit and treated like a murderer makes me sad.
Surely there is a better way to treat this child.

Whether he meant it or not, the girl was shot just the same. So I think it's perfect. It shows him there are consequences to his actions-he had no business bringing a loaded gun to school.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Whether he meant it or not, the girl was shot just the same. So I think it's perfect. It shows him there are consequences to his actions-he had no business bringing a loaded gun to school.

Do you know many 8 or 9 year olds?

I can't imagine anyone feeling this child should be treated this way for an accidental shooting.

I know the little girl is injured. I am perfectly aware, as I'm sure everyone else on this thread is, that his actions injured the little girl.

But IMO its a sad sad day in our great country when we treat a 9 year old like a hardened criminal for an accident.

There HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY.

 

[jjenny]

Do you know many 8 or 9 year olds?

I can't imagine anyone feeling this child should be treated this way for an accidental shooting.

I know the little girl is injured. I am perfectly aware, as I'm sure everyone else on this thread is, that his actions injured the little girl.

But IMO its a sad sad day in our great country when we treat a 9 year old like a hardened criminal for an accident.

There HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY.

Accidental shooting involving a gun that this boy had no business bringing to school. I am really glad they are actually doing something instead of just releasing him to his guardians.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Accidental shooting involving a gun that this boy had no business bringing to school. I am really glad they are actually doing something instead of just releasing him to his guardians.

Doing something...but IMO not the right thing.
Something most certainly needs to be done.
But it should be something that helps a nine year old not do further damage.

I studied child development for years. I can you, this child did not think about the consequences of taking the gun to school. Not because he is a "bad" child, but because a 9 year old brain is impulsive.

Locking him up, taking away his family, and treating him like a criminal will not help ANYBODY in this situation.

 

[Missizzy]

I see this boy as a victim too. He did not ask for his hard-wiring nor his home environment. I'm not pleased that he was paraded into court. I don't believe his photo should be published and I'm not so sure his family's name should have been released.

I'm very very hopeful that he's receiving age-appropriate treatment--even though that seems highly unlikely at a juvenile detention center. IMO, he really should be placed in a specialized residential treatment home while this case progresses. He desperately needs intensive treatment AND Washington legislators must sit up and take notice. WA gun laws are far too lax. The owner of the gun (sounds like the mom) should be charged.

 

[katydid23]

I am sure he had no idea that a gun could discharge just by being in his backpack. He never took it out and brandished it even. He does need to pay in some way for the stupid choice to steal a loaded gun and take it to school. But residential treatment makes more sense than jail.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

At his age, would be in the concrete operational stage of cognitive development.

His level of development SHOULD be considered in his "punishment" IMO.

I feel they are doing more harm than good by treating him the way they are.

 

[MsFacetious]

This happened back in 2000... in Michigan.... a 6 year old boy shot a 6 year old girl.
But the gun did not accidentally go off and the child did not survive.
The guy who had the gun that the boy used, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to a few years.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=95802&page=1#.T0cwennFmSo

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/12/u...hool-shooting-case.html?ref=kaylareneerolland

 

[MsFacetious]

In this case... if the mother had no parental rights... why was she having visitation? The father lived with him... but the mother? :waitasec:
And the mother didn't show up for court? Maybe more worried about possible charges than supporting her son? :banghead:

The boy is HOME. They appear to have enough friends who agree the child is not dangerous, that they raised the bail pretty fast.
I feel better knowing the actual penalties the child faces. :twocents:

----------------------------------------------

The boy's father, Jason Cochran, 40, sat next to him at the defense table and rubbed his back. The boy burst into tears.
His mother, Jamie Chaffin, 34, was not there.
Authorities say the boy got the gun from her home, and there's a chance she will face criminal charges.

-------------------------------------------

Prosecutor Todd Dowell said police are investigating.
Depending on the circumstances, the owner of the gun could be charged with reckless endangerment, he said.

If the boy is found guilty of the charges, he could be ordered to spend up to 30 days in juvenile detention and 12 months on the juvenile version of probation and to perform 150 hours of community service.

-------------------------------------

When Laurie set bail at $50,000, Jason Cochran shook his head.

"[My son] made a bad mistake," he said later. "I'm sorry."

Back home, the Cochrans began calling on friends for help with bail.
By 5 p.m., they had raised the money and the boy had come home.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017582563_bremerton24m.html



On Wednesday, Bremerton police characterized the shooting at Armin Jahr Elementary as accidental.
A bullet hit Kocer-Bowman in the abdomen and arm, according to authorities.

Her father, Josh Bowman, thanked his daughter's teacher in a statement, saying "had she not administered first aid and stopped the bleeding from the gunshot wound, this event would have surely been tragic."

The boy was being investigated for unlawful possession of a gun, bringing a dangerous weapon to school and third-degree assault charges.

Authorities believe he got the weapon during a visitation with his mother over the weekend, according to charging documents released Thursday.
The documents state that the boy told a classmate about 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, the documents said.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-n...f/2012/02/crying_third-grader_appears_in.html

 

[tlcya]

I see this boy as a victim too. He did not ask for his hard-wiring nor his home environment. I'm not pleased that he was paraded into court. I don't believe his photo should be published and I'm not so sure his family's name should have been released.

I'm very very hopeful that he's receiving age-appropriate treatment--even though that seems highly unlikely at a juvenile detention center. IMO, he really should be placed in a specialized residential treatment home while this case progresses. He desperately needs intensive treatment AND Washington legislators must sit up and take notice. WA gun laws are far too lax. The owner of the gun (sounds like the mom) should be charged.

I agree with you and others. I would be much happier with the adult who gave this child access to the gun being charged. Ive had nine year olds and their development is as kimberly says. They, in general are not developed enough to truly grasp the seriousness or permanancy of their acts.

 

[jjenny]

I agree with you and others. I would be much happier with the adult who gave this child access to the gun being charged. Ive had nine year olds and their development is as kimberly says. They, in general are not developed enough to truly grasp the seriousness or permanancy of their acts.

I am not sure what exactly could stop authorities from charging the both of them? Today some consider this 9 year old a "baby." Well he is not going to be a baby forever. Better scare the **** out of him now then waiting until he grows up.

 

[kgeaux]

Such a little guy:

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-n...f/2012/02/crying_third-grader_appears_in.html

Whether he meant it or not, the girl was shot just the same. So I think it's perfect. It shows him there are consequences to his actions-he had no business bringing a loaded gun to school.

He is a little guy, isn't he? I do believe that he needs to face consequences for his actions, and God knows, he will. I just hate seeing little kids treated like adult criminals.

There has got to be a better way.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

I am not sure what exactly could stop authorities from charging the both of them? Today some consider this 9 year old a "baby." Well he is not going to be a baby forever. Better scare the **** out of him now then waiting until he grows up.

I think the gun going off and him seeing the other child shot most likely scared him.

Taking him from all he knows, parading him in front of cameras in an orange jumpsuit, and charging him with crimes he doesn't even understand will do nothing but damage this child.

Scaring him may make some adults feel better NOW but accomplishes nothing for him or his future.

I care more about how he turns out as an adult in our society.

 

[jjenny]

I think the gun going off and him seeing the other child shot most likely scared him.

Taking him from all he knows, parading him in front of cameras in an orange jumpsuit, and charging him with crimes he doesn't even understand will do nothing but damage this child.

Scaring him may make some adults feel better NOW but accomplishes nothing for him or his future.

I care more about how he turns out as an adult in our society.

Doesn't understand? I think a 9 year old is perfectly capable of understanding.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Doesn't understand? I think a 9 year old is perfectly capable of understanding.

My opinions are formed from years of studying child development.

If you would like to understand how a nine year old brain works and why my opinions are what they are, you can google concrete operational stage. It's the cognitive development stage a nine year old would be in.

You can not treat a nine year old the same way as an adult. You can not expect a nine year old to understand things the way adults do.

He is a child.

 

[Wise Old Owl]

Accident or not.

Concrete operations stage or not.

This child knew the rules. He knew that bringing a gun to school was wrong and against the rules. That much he did know. He was told.

He brought a gun to school. Period.

That gun went off and shot another child. Period.

Both the child and whoever the adult was that did not secure that gun so that child could get to it should face consequences.

Thank God that the little girl will be ok.

The "law" was broken when he brought that gun onto school grounds and he knew he was breaking it when he did it.

JMHO