Friday March 16 7:49 PM ET
Father of Accused Calif. Shooter Says He Is Sorry

SANTEE, Calif. (Reuters) - Choking back tears, the father and aunt of accused Santana High School shooter Charles ``Andy'' Williams spoke publicly for the first time on Friday, expressing
sorrow over the event and sympathy for the victims.

Two teenagers died in the March 5 shooting and 13 people were wounded after the babyfaced 15-year-old who was new to the school and said he was picked on, opened fire in a hallway.

It was the latest in a string of deadly school violence in the United States and the worst incident since two teenagers killed 15 people, including themselves, at Columbine High School in
Colorado in 1999.

``No words can not express the remorse I feel for the families,'' Charles Williams' father, Jeff Williams, told reporters. ``My heart goes out to the people involved.''

The elder Williams said he was ``confused'' by the incident and ``scared for my son. I will do whatever is necessary to continue to support my son and find the answers we all desperately need,'' he added.

Cindy Weber, the boy's aunt, also struggling to compose herself, appeared alongside Williams at a press conference. Weber said: ``We are heartbroken by this event. We do not wish to offer

any excuses.''

The boy used his father's gun in the shootings but Jeff Williams, who was raising his son as a single dad, will not face charges related to the incident, officials said.

Williams is expected to be tried as an adult. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for March 26. Williams faces charges of murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.

However his attorneys told reporters on Friday that they plan to challenge a new California law that decrees anyone over the age of 14 accused of murder must be tried as an adult.

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