She's 11-years-old now, but Amina Kocer Bowman was only 8 when she was shot in her classroom at Armin Jahr Elementary.
A classmate had brought a handgun to school in his backpack and it accidentally discharged. The bullet tore through Amina's elbow and abdomen.
The girl’s father, John Bowman, said, “It’s just been a roller coaster.” A roller coaster that John Bowman feels may finally be coming to an end for his family after a judge approved a legal settlement of $1,200,000.
The Bowmans had sued the Bremerton school, claiming it failed to protect Amina from a troubled boy who complained about being bullied and openly bragged about bringing a gun to school.
“This shouldn’t happen,” John Bowman said. “School should be the safest place other than a child’s home and unfortunately it’s not.”
The school district agreed to pay $900,000. The other $300,000 comes from the owner of the handgun, Doug Bauer.
The boy who brought the gun to school picked up the weapon on a weekend visit to his mother’s home. Bauer was his mother’s boyfriend.
The Bowmans' attorney, Jeff Campiche, said Bauer failed to be a responsible gun owner because the first part of that responsibility is to keep guns out of the reach of children.
Amina still suffers from anxiety and due to her injuries may never be able to have children on her own.
Her family has moved to a small town out of state, and family said she’s where she is slowly coming out of her shell.
“She’s playing outside now and she’s actually walked down the block to go pick up some ice cream,” mother, Teri Bowman, said.
The Bremerton School District issued a statement saying it's pleased a settlement has been reached. It emphasized the importance of safety drills to prepare for unpredictable events and said, in this case, every student and staff member acted calmly and professionally.
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