Charges of first-degree manslaughter will be filed against a 14-year-old boy who fatally shot a hiker on a Sauk Mountain trail after mistaking her for a bear, the prosecutor confirmed this evening.

Prosecutor Rich Weyrich said that the Concrete teen acted recklessly when he fired his rifle Aug. 2 across a trail that switchbacks along the south side of the mountain. The teen will be charged as a juvenile, but Weyrich said he did not plan to have the boy taken into custody.
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I will have to say that I’m not surprised Weyrich decided to charge him thusly.  My hope, however, is that if he is convicted, he will be doing no more than three or four months in a juvenile facility.

Well. I have to say that I really don’t think that any time spent in a juvenile facility is appropriate. I honestly think that his time would be better served doing community service either with an organization that rescues injured wildlife or with victims of head trauma. He just has to learn that there are consequences to a trigger pull, and not spending time with a bunch of nickel and dime thugs. I get the impression, based on the posts in his defense, that this is a good kid from a good family and he made a horrible, can’t take it back error in judgement that, quite frankly, a 14 yr old should never be in a position to make.
I hope the parents of young hunters are learning something from this and all the thousands of posts from both sides. Not just here but on hiking and hunting websites throughout the country.

Kids will opt for fun if given the choice. Be it driving a car, having a beer, or shooting a gun.

I have strong feelings about the whole incident because my husband is a hardcore hiker (topo & GPS as a guide) and my daughter is a “I saw a cool trail I wanna hike” hiker. I know my husband checks the hunting seasons, but I will guarantee you that my daughter checks her look in the mirror and that is it. If it’s a marked, well-known trail hunting should not be allowed anywhere near it.

I neither hunt nor hike much. I trust guns and bears about equally. So I don’t know hunting seasons and I don’t know fishing seasons, but I will on occassion follow my husband up a short trail to a nice waterfall. I hate to think that from now on I will think twice about it. But I will.

Mya Pinion - 12 August 2008 03:08 AM

Well. I have to say that I really don’t think that any time spent in a juvenile facility is appropriate. I honestly think that his time would be better served doing community service either with an organization that rescues injured wildlife or with victims of head trauma. He just has to learn that there are consequences to a trigger pull, and not spending time with a bunch of nickel and dime thugs. I get the impression, based on the posts in his defense, that this is a good kid from a good family and he made a horrible, can’t take it back error in judgement that, quite frankly, a 14 yr old should never be in a position to make.

He killed someone.  Accident, no accident, doesn’t matter.  He killed someone and took away a family’s mother, wife, and grandmother. 

I seriously believe he needs to do time in some way; my personal opinion is that community service will not cut it.  I hope that if he is convicted he will do no more than three, four months tops.  While I recognize that juvenile detention is a tough place to be for any kid, justice for Mrs. Almli will not be served if this boy only gets community service.  I don’t think so, and I’m gonna bet that Mrs. Almli’s husband wouldn’t think so.  Three to four months would certainly send the message to him that actions = consequences.

As far as his family is concerned - I won’t reveal much here, but I *will* say that I have known this family for nearly 35 years.  While they are essentially good, law-abiding people, they are also people who (just in my opinion, mind you) carry an attitude that basically says most rules apply to other people, not to them.  Once again, in my opinion, giving that boy a slap on the wrist with community service will not break a bad, learned cycle of behavior and attitude, but only make what’s already there worse.

Hiya there LivinUpriver...!

Marta Murvosh - 12 August 2008 01:18 AM

teen acted recklessly when he fired his rifle Aug. 2 across a trail that switchbacks along the south side of the mountain.

I pointed this out in the other thread...this is a violation of Federal Code

Weyrich said the teen failed to follow several guidelines in the state’s hunting safety manual — mainly being sure of a target and what lies beyond it in the bullet’s path.

The boy, a licensed hunter who took the hunting class when he was 9 years old,

IMO....this is a problem. 5 years have passed since he went through the class...perhaps a teen should be required to have the class every year to re-new his license

Whattya think there LivinUpriver...?

I’m actually with you, ‘upriver. If you’ve read the couple of posts I’ve made you will know that my symapathies lie with Mrs. Almli’s family. Truly. She was probably armed with no more than a camera (if that) and had plans for the evening and the rest of her life. It breaks my heart.
I get the HUGE tragedy here, and i’m not being flippant.

I am saying that a 14 yr old (in general) will do what seems fun and adventurous and damn the torpedos. The ADULT in this instance was culpable because he allowed a young teen to do what young teens do when they are unsupervised. They get careless and recklless and over-excited to ‘prove themselves’. They know it all. Just ask one! I’m just as mistrustful of a 14 yr old behind a gun as I am of a 16 yr old behind the wheel of, what we adults know as the speeding weapon known as the automobile.

I’m just saying what will he LEARN from cooling his heels in “boys town”? Anything? Or something worse he can use those sharpshooting skills for? Okay, that’s brutal, but really.. do you honestly think that’s the way to go?

I really don’t. And I respect your opinion.
Maybe we’ll serve on a jury sometime. Sounds like we’d deadlock ;-)

Mya Pinion - 12 August 2008 04:07 AM

I’m actually with you, ‘upriver. If you’ve read the couple of posts I’ve made you will know that my symapathies lie with Mrs. Almli’s family. Truly. She was probably armed with no more than a camera (if that) and had plans for the evening and the rest of her life. It breaks my heart.
I get the HUGE tragedy here, and i’m not being flippant.

I am saying that a 14 yr old (in general) will do what seems fun and adventurous and damn the torpedos. The ADULT in this instance was culpable because he allowed a young teen to do what young teens do when they are unsupervised. They get careless and recklless and over-excited to ‘prove themselves’. They know it all. Just ask one! I’m just as mistrustful of a 14 yr old behind a gun as I am of a 16 yr old behind the wheel of, what we adults know as the speeding weapon known as the automobile.

I’m just saying what will he LEARN from cooling his heels in “boys town”? Anything? Or something worse he can use those sharpshooting skills for? Okay, that’s brutal, but really.. do you honestly think that’s the way to go?

I absolutely agree that the adult(s) are quite to blame.  The grandfather had to know the boys were going to go up the trail - he was waiting in the car, for heaven’s sake.  I would like to think that they had a cell phone with them to contact the grandfather and vice versa - at the very least a walkie-talkie would have been smart.  Now that we know the boys were up the trail ahead of other hikers, why in the world didn’t somebody think (or think to say) “there could be other people coming up the trail from behind”?  Hindsight.

As far as doing actual time:  I am enough of a realist to know that often jail turns non-criminals into criminals - but this *is* a kid with no record, no real discipline problems.  Hopefully what he will learn if he goes to juvie is what I stated previously:  actions = consequences.  The full nine months would be harsh - really harsh - for a kid his age.  3-4 months would hopefully be adequate punishment and get him into counseling where he will not only learn how to properly deal emotionally with the fact that he ended someone’s life, but also that life is not lived in a vaccuum.  What we do and choose to do affects not only us but the world around us. 

If he’s convicted, I just don’t see how the judge will be able to *not* make him serve some time.  And I don’t know if the Almli family will stand for it.

Of course, at this point it’s all conjecture and nobody knows how it’s all going to play out.  For certain how it all comes down will be interesting.  So far, I am impressed by how the authorities have handled it all and I hope that what they appear to be doing now continues all the way through the trial.

Agreed UpRiver.

I was pretty amazed that any files were charged at all, the PNW being a ‘hunters paradise’ and all.
(I see that in quotes already. Yikes.)

I don’t know the workings of the local juvie system (there but for the grace and all that!), but hopefully what you say is true, that he will get the counseling that he will undoubtedly need.

I’m sure if Mrs. Almli was my friend, sister, mother, daughter I would have a decidedly different stance. As it is, I see a nice woman who went for a nice hike and didn’t come home. That’s the tragedy. What to do with the child responsible is up to those who know just how to deal with that, I suppose.

Very sad.

I for one am grateful to have made it through my kids teen years with little more than speeding tickets. And I never keep anything in the house more lethal than a hammer.

LivinUpriver - 12 August 2008 03:37 AM

Mya Pinion - 12 August 2008 03:08 AM

Well. I have to say that I really don’t think that any time spent in a juvenile facility is appropriate. I honestly think that his time would be better served doing community service either with an organization that rescues injured wildlife or with victims of head trauma. He just has to learn that there are consequences to a trigger pull, and not spending time with a bunch of nickel and dime thugs. I get the impression, based on the posts in his defense, that this is a good kid from a good family and he made a horrible, can’t take it back error in judgement that, quite frankly, a 14 yr old should never be in a position to make.

He killed someone.  Accident, no accident, doesn’t matter.  He killed someone and took away a family’s mother, wife, and grandmother. 

I seriously believe he needs to do time in some way; my personal opinion is that community service will not cut it.  I hope that if he is convicted he will do no more than three, four months tops.  While I recognize that juvenile detention is a tough place to be for any kid, justice for Mrs. Almli will not be served if this boy only gets community service.  I don’t think so, and I’m gonna bet that Mrs. Almli’s husband wouldn’t think so.  Three to four months would certainly send the message to him that actions = consequences.

As far as his family is concerned - I won’t reveal much here, but I *will* say that I have known this family for nearly 35 years.  While they are essentially good, law-abiding people, they are also people who (just in my opinion, mind you) carry an attitude that basically says most rules apply to other people, not to them.  Once again, in my opinion, giving that boy a slap on the wrist with community service will not break a bad, learned cycle of behavior and attitude, but only make what’s already there worse.

Thanks for that, you spared me 10 minutes of typing plus added stuff I didn’t know.  Although I sure hope it’s a few years in juvie and somebody leaks the name… it would be interesting if there was any other criminal activity/warning signs in the past.

He committed a federial.. no let him serve the time ...life w/o parole...would suit me fine for his recklessness.

Skagitonian1982 - 12 August 2008 12:39 PM

Thanks for that, you spared me 10 minutes of typing plus added stuff I didn’t know.  Although I sure hope it’s a few years in juvie and somebody leaks the name… it would be interesting if there was any other criminal activity/warning signs in the past.

Yeah...well, “years in juvie” would be completely counterproductive - especially considering the boy’s age.  And no, as far as I am aware, there have never been any “criminal activity/warning signs in the past”.  Like I said in a previous post, the family is law-abiding.  Something I left out previously and shouldn’t have, however, is that the shooter is essentially a good boy and is liked amongst those who interact with him.  It’s the family overall that has, shall we say, an irritating attitude persona.  But there’s definitely nothing criminal about this family.

And that’s all I am going to say about that in this forum.

In 2 posts you have already said too much about this family...you’re way off base

BTW...where is the other person that was writing with that same user name ?

Hey Captain in any way can you tell who the family is?? No! And I really don’t think that this is an appropriate way for the teen to be convicted.

Someone said to me he thought it would all be buried but there was to much public interest.

Shall we get all the rumours out in the open? Well I heard...through the school grapevine that the same boy was scolded by a sheriff last spring for shooting “tweety birds” in a neighbor’s yard. I know this is common for kids to do, wonder if it could be verified in records or is it irrelevant...? If true it does seem to indicate a disrespect for shooting rules…

gardner - 12 August 2008 03:28 PM

Shall we get all the rumours out in the open? Well I heard...through the school grapevine that the same boy was scolded by a sheriff last spring for shooting “tweety birds” in a neighbor’s yard. I know this is common for kids to do, wonder if it could be verified in records or is it irrelevant...? If true it does seem to indicate a disrespect for shooting rules…

Why are you trying to spread rumors?  And why would you think that we should get “all the rumours [sic] out in the open” in a forum like this?  Rumors do no one any good and only inflate the emotions of those not able to properly separate fact from fiction.

Even if what you say is true, it is likely on record with the SCSO and will come to light by the prosecutor in discovery.

We’ll never know what REALLY happened on that hill.  All we know is the story that was given to law enforcement.  He could have been farting around, he could have tried to scare the woman, he could have been trying to shoot off her backpack...and only time will tell if he’s learned his lesson.

As far as putting him in Juvie...it isn’t a Shaun Penn movie.  It isn’t like they throw him into a solitary confinement cell.  He’ll get counseling, he’ll get assistance.  If he chooses to learn even more bad behavior from other juveniles then that’s exactly what it is....A CHOICE HE MADE.  Bad/destructive/criminal behavior isn’t something you catch like a cold and can never get rid of...IT’S A CHOICE!

I agree that this incident probably resulted in charges being filed only because the shooting drew statewide attention.

If there is anything good that can possibly come out of this tragedy, I hope it will be the following:

1. The current rules allowing children to hunt will be changed to require that a child be accompanied by a licensed, adult hunter.
2. Ongoing hunter safety refresher classes will be required for all minors.
3. Hunting seasons and hunting areas will be clearly marked with Warning signs about mixed useage areas and a safety reminder to hunters to identify their target before they shoot.
4. A change in people’s minds that a deadly hunting shooting error is an act of negligence rather than merely an accident.
5. A wake-up call to those responsible for enforcing hunting regulations and shooting laws to take their responsibilities seriously and to be quick to respond when hunting violations and shooting concerns are reported.  Don’t wait for a tragedy to do your jobs. If you take shooting seriously, then hopefully the people who are in violation of the law will also begin to learn to take shooting seriously--before someone else is killed.
6. A renewed respect for the vast majority of safe, responsible hunters who are legitimately practicing their chosen form of recreation.  This should not turn into an anti-hunting crusade.
7. A return of the basic concept of personal responsibility for one’s action and an acceptance of the consequences of one’s actions.

You know.. Jouvie is not appropriate. This is not a hardened criminal - living with what he did - isn’t that more than enough?? I hope that this child is not set up to live with boys who have sold drugs, raped girls, and done other premeditated crimes.

I feel so sorry for the victim and her famiy!

If I drove my car down the street, and didn’t pay attention and ended up accidently hitting and killing a pedestrian minding their own business walking down the sidewalk, seeing how I didn’t mean to, I shouldn’t be made to answer for that, or face any sort of punishment right? Lol now doesn’t it sound just as stupid to say some one who took out a woman with a headshot at longer then the distance of a standard NFL sized football field shouldn’t be held accountable for his actions that cost a woman her life, even if he is 14 and didn’t mean to do it, how stupid does that sound? Accident or no accident this kid needs to be held responsible for his actions, because Ms. Almi is dead simply due to the fact of this kids negligent decision. One thing everyone who feels this kid should get off with not even a slap on the wrist needs to ask themselves what they’d say if the kid wasn’t 14, if it was an adult who did this, what would you say then? Do you really think age should be the mitigating factor of your opinion of the actions of this kid who’s stupidity ended up costing a woman her life? Now I don’t nessecarily think they should throw the book at the kid, but i’m glad to see some sort of charges are being pursued. Because regardless of the kid’s intentions or him being a good boy, or how the family may be he comes from. At least that boy came off the mountain that day. But due to this boy’s stupid decision making, the Almi family can’t say the same. She was a mother, a sister, a wife, and many other people’s loved one that was lost that day on the mountain, and i’m glad to see this kid is being made to answer for that.

SouthFidalgo - 12 August 2008 03:47 PM

If there is anything good that can possibly come out of this tragedy, I hope it will be the following:

4. A change in people’s minds that a deadly hunting shooting error is an act of negligence rather than merely an accident.

Various definitions of “accident”:

- An unforeseen and unintentional act identifiable in time and place.

- An undesigned contingency, a happening by chance, something out of the usual course of things, unusual, not anticipated and not naturally to be expected

- Any sudden event which is unintended.

- Literally, a befalling; an event that takes place without one’s foresight or expectation; an undesigned, sudden, and unexpected event; chance; contingency; often, an undesigned and unforeseen occurrence of an afflictive or unfortunate character; a casualty; a mishap; as, to die by an accident

- An accident is a specific, identifiable, unexpected, unusual and unintended external event which occurs in a particular time and place, without apparent cause but with marked effects.

- an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury

Even in medicine, a stroke is formally called a “Cerebrovascular Accident” and will frequently result in someone’s death.

Based on the above, I’d say that “accident” is not inappropriate in this case.