BREMERTON, Wash. – An 8-year-old girl is in critical condition after being shot Wednesday afternoon at Armin Jahr Elementary School in Bremerton, allegedly by another student.
Harborview Medical Center says that the girl, Amina Bowman, is undergoing exploratory surgery at this time. The Bremerton Schools superintendent's office has said the girl was shot in the abdomen.
Cyndy Kocer, Bowman's grandmother, told KING 5 that she was watching TV of the shooting just before learning her granddaughter was involved.
"[Amina] "She will pull through," said Kocer. "If I can make a plea to all my CFC [Couples for Christ] families, please pray for her. That's all I need. That's all we need."
A teacher working in the office said the shooting happened in a classroom around 1:30 p.m.
Lt. Peter Fisher said another student was taken into custody and a gun was recovered. He would not confirm any information about the suspect, but a Bremerton School District spokesperson said suspect is 9 years old and also in the third grade.
The district spokesperson said it was believed the shooting was an accident, but Lt. Fisher said it was too early in the investigation to speculate.
The school was placed under lockdown. Fisher said police did a sweep of the school after taking the student into custody, then worked with the district to reunite students and parents.
“There’s been a shooting. They’re on lockdown."
That's what parent Kerri Johnson was told when she learned about the shooting. Her fourth grade son said he heard the shot.
“He’s really scared, but he’s fine,” said Johnson.
Armin Jahr Elementary is named for Armin G. Jahr, who was superintendent when the school was built in 1968.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
