Teen to be charged in fatal hunting shooting

Teen to be charged in fatal hunting shooting »Play Video
File photo.
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) - Authorities say a 14-year-old Concrete boy will be charged as a juvenile with first-degree manslaughter in the shooting of a hiker.
     
Skagit County Prosecutor Rich Weyrich said Monday the young bear hunter acted recklessly when he fatally shot 54-year-old Pamela Almli of Oso on Aug. 2.
     
Almli was shot in the head as she bent over to put a jacket into a backpack. The boy was with his 16-year-old brother when he fired a .270-caliber rifle from about 120 yards away.
     
Weyrich says the teenager failed to follow guidelines in the state's hunting safety manual, especially being sure of a target and what lies beyond it.
     
The teen took a hunting class when he was 9 years old. If convicted he could face nine months in juvenile detention.
     
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)