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WWW . THESKANNER . COM M ARCH 28, 2012 S EATTLE , W ASHINGTON V OLUME XXXIV, N O . 13 25 CENTS For The Skanner news alerts Text "NEWS" to 503-715-0890 or scan this QR code C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW Trayvon SKITTLES, TEA AND JUSTICE Martin's Parents PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED Family of murdered teen tells Congress about racial profiling Trayvon Martin’s cousin, Cedric President-Turner, 18, from Tacoma, led hundreds of people on a march to Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park March 25 to celebrate the life of his cousin. Child’s School Shooting Plea: Not Guilty Elementary student’s mother charged with allowing access to gun By Doug Esser The Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) -- A prosecu- tor said he will try to stretch the law to go after a Bremerton woman and her boyfriend who are accused of having a role in a shooting that critically wounded an 8-year-old girl when the woman's 9-year-old son took a gun to school. The couple were charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and felony assault for allowing the boy access to the gun, Kitsap County Prosecutor Russ Hauge said. "It's not been done before, that we know, but we're confident in our research," he said Thursday. "We think the law in Washing- ton is sound - that under the def- inition of cause that Washington uses, the situation that was cre- ated by the mother and boyfriend that allowed the boy to come into possession amounts to them being legally responsible for it." The boy took the .45-caliber handgun from a car glove box INDEX News .....................2,3,8 Calendar ....................2 Opinion ....................4,5 Bids/Classifieds............7 and brought it to Armin Jahr Elementary on Feb. 22 in a backpack, authorities said. It fired when he dropped the back- pack on a desk. The bullet struck Amina Kocer-Bowman, who remains in Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The little girl was transferred out of the intensive care unit Thursday and is now listed in satisfactory condition, a hospital spokeswoman said. The child has a shattered elbow and serious injuries to internal organs. The bullet is still lodged in muscle near her spine. Hauge initially charged the boy's mother, Jamie Lee Chaf- fin, and her boyfriend, Douglas L. Bauer, with unlawful posses- sion of a firearm. Hauge added the third-degree assault charges Tuesday. If convicted of the felony, Chaffin and Bauer could be sentenced to up to five years in prison. Chaffin, 34, is charged with two counts of unlawful posses- sion of a firearm - one for allegedly having a gun in her See GUN on page 3 By Suzanne Gamboa The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a packed forum on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the par- ents of Trayvon Martin found support among members of Congress who turned the death of their 17-year-old's son into a rallying cry against racial profiling. Martin's parents spoke briefly before a Democrats-only congressional panel as cameras clicked noisily in front of them. Many in the crowd, which filled the seats and lined the walls, strained to catch a glimpse of the parents whose son was shot and killed Feb. 26 in a Sanford, Fla. gated community. "Trayvon was our son, but Trayvon is your son," Sybrina Fulton, Martin's mother, told the panel. "A lot of people can relate to our situation and it breaks their heart like it breaks our heart." Martin's father, Tracy Martin, thanked "everyone who is holding the legacy of Trayvon." "Trayvon is sadly missed and we will con- tinue to fight for justice for him," said Tracy Martin, who wore a weary look. During the two-hour forum, the lawmak- ers and witnesses openly criticized the police investigation of the shooting and the failure of police to arrest the admitted shoot- er, George Zimmerman. Those attending the hearing applauded the couple when Debo- rah Ramirez, a law professor at Northeast- ern University School of Law in Boston, praised the parents' "dignity and grace in the face of this tragedy" and said they were an "inspiration to all." Zimmerman, 28, has said he acted in self- defense. Federal and state officials are investigating. "It is very important that we have inde- pendent eyes on this situation," said Rep. Corrine Brown, a Democrat whose district includes Sanford. "I am hoping we take this as a teachable moment. I am looking for- ward to how the Justice Department handles See TRAYVON on page 3 Murray on Violence Against Women Act Senator uses ‘war on women’ as platform for reintroducing law By Laurie Kellman The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Democ- rats fired the latest political shot in what they're calling the Republican "war against women" this month, pushing to renew and expand a law that fights violence against women and pays to help victims. They dared GOP senators to vote against it. "Protecting women against violence shouldn't be a partisan issue," Sen. Patty Murray, chairwoman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said from the Senate floor, where a group of female senators spoke in favor of the legislation. Money for the Violence Against Women Act has been widely supported by lawmak- ers of both parties since the law was first signed in 1994. But the timing of the 2012 Senate debate is unmistakably political. It comes at the height of an election year in which the presidency and the congressional majorities are at stake. And it fits neatly into the Democrats' overarching campaign theme that Republicans aren't standing up for women on contraception, abortion rights, health insurance and now domestic See WOMEN on page 3
