A Navy yard worker pleaded not guilty recently to first-degree assault following an incident on Dec. 1 that left his coworker with two gunshot wounds.
Kraig A. Burmaster, an equipment cleaner at Naval Base Kitsap and a shipyard employee since 2012, entered his plea on Dec. 3 in a case that appears headed for a jury trial.
The 46-year-old stands accused of assault with a deadly weapon after Bremerton police say they found his coworker, Ryan Mahoney, lying in Burmaster’s driveway on Carr Boulevard with gunshot wounds to his leg and wrist.
All available Bremerton police units responded to the incident at around 9:25 p.m., according to a BPD statement. Officers searched the house and removed multiple firearms, the statement reads.
In interviews with police, Mahoney said he was attacked but could not provide an explanation for how he was shot, a BPD officer wrote in a court filing dated Dec. 2.
“Ryan explained Kraig had showed [sic] him several firearms earlier in the evening, but could not explain how he received a gunshot wound,” the filing states.
Mahoney was transported to Harrison Medical Center and underwent surgery to dislodge a bullet from his leg.
He had injuries to his face, police said, and reported losing a tooth. His injuries were “consistent with being punched in the face,” the statement reads.
Mahoney told police he knew Burmaster for about five years, and they worked together at the Bremerton shipyard. They had been drinking beer prior to the incident.
Navy spokesperson J.C. Matthews confirmed Monday that Burmaster works at the Trident Refit Facility at Naval Base Kitsap – Bangor.
Burmaster has a prior weapons conviction in Kitsap County as a juvenile. He was released earlier this month on $100,000 bail.
First-degree assault is punishable by up to life in prison. A trial has been scheduled for Jan. 28.