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The gunman who shot and wounded two people at the Seattle Center during the Folklife Festival in May has pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree assault.
The guilty plea means Clinton Chad Grainger, 22, could face a jail term of 3 to 8 months when he is sentenced Aug. 29.
But King County deputy prosecutor Ian Goodhew said because the conviction is for a class C felony, Grainger qualifies for the first-time offender waiver, meaning he would spend no additional time in custody. He would, however, face up to two years of community supervision.
Grainger has been in the King County Jail since the shooting May 24, but was released Monday, according to jail records.
Grainger went to the Folklife Festival with a gun strapped to his ankle. He got into a fight with another man and when the other man realized Grainger had a gun, he began to struggle with Grainger for control of the weapon.
During the scuffle, the gun discharged. A man and a woman sitting nearby were hit by the gunfire.
Grainger, of Snohomish, who has a history of mental illness, was initially charged with two counts of second-degree assault, and had faced up to 45 months in prison.
But in a statement Tuesday, the King County Prosecutor's Office said that proving second-degree assault would have required showing that Grainger intended to shoot the two victims.
The investigation failed to show evidence of an intentional assault by Grainger, the statement said, but prosecutors believe Grainger's conduct in bringing a gun to the festival and getting in a fight with another man over the weapon did amount to criminal negligence.
Grainger legally owned the gun involved in the shooting. By pleading guilty to a felony, Grainger will now be prohibited from possessing a firearm.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/374757_folklife13.html
The gunman who shot and wounded two people at the Seattle Center during the Folklife Festival in May has pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree assault.
The guilty plea means Clinton Chad Grainger, 22, could face a jail term of 3 to 8 months when he is sentenced Aug. 29.
But King County deputy prosecutor Ian Goodhew said because the conviction is for a class C felony, Grainger qualifies for the first-time offender waiver, meaning he would spend no additional time in custody. He would, however, face up to two years of community supervision.
Grainger has been in the King County Jail since the shooting May 24, but was released Monday, according to jail records.
Grainger went to the Folklife Festival with a gun strapped to his ankle. He got into a fight with another man and when the other man realized Grainger had a gun, he began to struggle with Grainger for control of the weapon.
During the scuffle, the gun discharged. A man and a woman sitting nearby were hit by the gunfire.
Grainger, of Snohomish, who has a history of mental illness, was initially charged with two counts of second-degree assault, and had faced up to 45 months in prison.
But in a statement Tuesday, the King County Prosecutor's Office said that proving second-degree assault would have required showing that Grainger intended to shoot the two victims.
The investigation failed to show evidence of an intentional assault by Grainger, the statement said, but prosecutors believe Grainger's conduct in bringing a gun to the festival and getting in a fight with another man over the weapon did amount to criminal negligence.
Grainger legally owned the gun involved in the shooting. By pleading guilty to a felony, Grainger will now be prohibited from possessing a firearm.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/374757_folklife13.html