Pierce County prosecutors contend that a 49-year-old Orting resident opened fire on the children, their father and uncle as the group rode three ATVs along the river Sunday evening.

No one was hit, but the incident put a scare into the family and ruined a nice day of visiting, eating barbecue and generally having fun, Scheppe told The News Tribune on Tuesday.

“I’m just shaking still,” the 44-year-old Kirkland resident said. “It was like being under fire in a war or something.”

Deputy prosecutor Phil Sorensen charged Robert Murray Burch with four counts of first-degree assault Tuesday. Sorensen wrote in charging documents that Burch fired a .22-caliber rifle at the Scheppes “with the intent to inflict great bodily harm.”

Pleas of not guilty were entered on Burch’s behalf during his arraignment in Superior Court. He told investigators he fired shots to scare the Scheppes away, according to court documents. He denied taking aim at anyone.

Sorensen argued for bail in the amount of $150,000. Public defender Lisa Contris asked that her client be released on his own recognizance. Judge James Orlando compromised, ordering Burch jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail. He remained in jail late Tuesday.

The incident began about 8:30 p.m. near the 14600 block of South Prairie-Carbon River Road east of Orting.

Scheppe’s brother Peter said he and the others were riding in the woods and along the river when he heard what he thought was a gunshot. He said he looked across the river to see a man with a rifle standing on the porch of a nearby mobile home.

“I screamed, ‘Are you shooting at us?’” said the 48-year-old Orting resident.

The man did not respond, Peter Scheppe said.

“Then I heard a gunshot go off and heard a bullet whiz by my left shoulder and hit the brush,” he said. “Then I heard another shot, and I saw the ground move right between me and my brother.

“At that point, we just ran for our lives.”

Doug Scheppe said he and his daughter abandoned their ATVs and ran through the woods with the 9-year-old boy in tow. They hooked up with Peter Scheppe after a few minutes, and all four rode to safety aboard his ATV.

The men called 911, and sheriff’s deputies responded. The deputies ordered Burch out of his home and arrested him.

“Burch told deputies that he told several people to leave the area and fired a shot,” Sorensen wrote in charging documents. “When the people did not leave, he fired four more shots. Burch told deputies that he fired into the ground and not at anyone.”

Deputies recovered a .22-caliber rifle from inside the mobile home and some spent shell casings on the back deck, according to charging documents. Deputies noted in their report that two idling ATVs were parked across the river from Burch’s house, the records state.

Doug Scheppe said his kids were shaken up after the incident and that he had to answer questions from his son about dying and heaven.

“I’m angry,” he said. “I’m just thankful that we all came out of it.”

Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644

adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com