8/4: Bear-hunting teen kills hiker on popular trail
ROCKPORT, Wash. - A 14-year-old hunter who fatally shot a hiker on a Skagit County trail will be charged with first degree manslaughter in juvenile court, the Skagit County Prosecutor's Office says.
Prosecutor Rich Weyrich says 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.
The boy said he mistook Almli for a bear.
An investigation determined that the boys' grandfather dropped the boys off in the Sauk Mountain area near Rockport but was not with them when the shooting occurred, Chief Deputy Will Reichardt said.
The two teens, from Concrete, were on a ledge overlooking the popular Sauk Mountain trail when Almli, who was wearing a bright blue poncho, stopped to put something into her backpack.
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According to Almli's hiking partner, it had started drizzling and Almli had just put on the poncho when the shot rang out.
The area where Almli was shot is wide open with no trees around.
"How do you confuse a woman with a bear?" asked William Almli, Pam's husband.
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.
Both boys are licensed to hunt bears. The two hunters broke no laws by hunting in the area and there is no minimum age for hunting in Washington.
The teen took a hunting class when he was nine years old. If convicted he could face nine months in juvenile detention.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
