Tri-Cities woman admits shooting ex-roommate. She kept pulling the trigger after gun jammed

A 26-year-old woman will serve five years in prison after shooting a man in the shoulder inside a Richland travel trailer.

Prosecutors say Lauren B. Rice was highly affected by a history of substance abuse when she pulled a gun in July 2022 on a man she used to room with.

“You know what you did,” she said before pulling the trigger. The man was wounded in the shoulder, but she continued to try and fire even after the black semi-automatic pistol jammed, according to court documents.

As she was trying to get the gun unstuck, she continued to point it at him and pull the trigger. He managed to get away from her and found some other people to help him.

Records don’t say what she believed he did. Rice and the victim had previously been roommates at a different location.

Last week, Rice apologized for her actions after pleaded guilty in Benton County Superior Court to second-degree assault with a gun.

“I hope to put this behind me and become a productive member of society,” she told the judge.

Deputy Prosecutor Kristin McRoberts said the outcome of the shooting could have been much worse. Prosecutors and her defense attorney worked hard to come to an agreement that was just.

Rice had no criminal history and the seriousness of the crime didn’t seem to call for the nearly eight-year sentence she could have faced for first-degree assault, said officials. Still she faced just nine months for second-degree assault.

They compromised on the five-year prison sentence, which includes three years for using a gun to commit the crime.

Her attorney Nicholas Blount said his client is prepared to learn from this.

Judge Jackie Shea-Brown agreed with the recommendation.