Suspect in California school shooting charged as adult

California (AP) - A 16-year-old student who was teased by his California high school classmates for his red hair, social awkwardness and bookish appearance was charged as an adult for allegedly wounding a classmate with a shotgun and trying to target another.

Bryan Oliver pleaded not guilty on Monday to two counts of premeditated attempted murder and three counts of assault with a firearm in the attack on Thursday at Taft Union High School that left another 16-year-old wounded.

"The severity of the actions, the injuries to the victim, that a firearm was used. Those are the things we considered," said Mr Mark Pafford, the chief deputy district attorney of Kern County.

The potential penalty for just one count of premeditated attempted murder with a firearm is 32 years to life, he said. If the boy had been charged as a juvenile and convicted, he would be held until his 23rd birthday.