A teen hunter has been convicted of second-degree manslaughter for fatally shooting a hiker on a popular Washington state trail he had mistaken for a bear.
Judge Susan Cook acquitted 15-year-old Tyler J. Kales of the more serious charge of first-degree manslaughter Tuesday. The judge found Tyler he didn’t act recklessly when he shot Pamela Almli in the head on Sauk Mountain north of Seattle.
The judge said Tyler “was painfully honest” with the deputy at the scene after the shooting last August. But Cook said the boy disregarded that he was on a popular hiking trail.
He faces up to 3 months in a juvenile facility when he is sentenced July 10.
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Information from: Skagit Valley Herald, http://www.skagitvalleyherald.com
