After Fish Bowl, a teen shot another in the face. He needed surgery to remove a BB

A group of high school students were mingling on a Fox Island boat ramp after a Saturday night football game when one of them pulled out a gun.

The 18-year-old Gig Harbor High School student had been bragging to the group that gathered after the Fish Bowl game in Purdy that he was “strapped,” according to court documents.

Another student scoffed in disbelief that the teen carried a weapon.

So the 18-year-old pointed a gun at the other boy and fired, shooting him in the face.

The victim sought help at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Gig Harbor, where he underwent surgery to have a BB removed from his lip.

Two witnesses told Pierce County sheriff’s deputies they saw the teen point the gun at the victim’s face from just a few feet away and pull the trigger.

When deputies spoke with the 18-year-old, he said the victim was threatening him and his friends and he was scared.

He fired the BB gun after the victim “insulted him and called his girlfriend names,” prosecutors wrote in charging papers.

On Monday, the teen pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault and was released on his own recognizance.

He was ordered to stay away from the other student, keep clear of all weapons, including BB guns, and complete online high school.

This story was originally published October 23, 2018 at 9:38 AM.