MIRAMAR, Fla. -- A teenager accused of opening fire on a school bus Tuesday has been charged as an adult.

Camille Burke, 17, is accused of shooting Kaliesha Cheatham, 15, on a Miramar school bus.

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Cheatham continues to recover at Memorial Hospital in Hollywood from a gunshot wound in the upper chest.

Burke's lawyer, Bruce Lehr, said his client acted in self-defense.

"To put somebody into a school bus where they can be beaten, where they can be attacked, where they can be constantly harassed, and not have an adult on that school bus other than the driver, who is not there to pay attention to what's going on -- it's like putting a person in a prison cell. She was beaten. She was harassed. And, sadly, at least what is alleged, is that she took an extreme measure to defend herself -- but to defend herself," Lehr said. "She's quiet. She's a good student. She's a good girl."

Burke's mother was in court Wednesday but refused to talk about her daughter's case.

Witnesses and police said Burke shot Cheatham in retaliation for days of being verbally and physically bullied.

Lehr said questions about where Burke got the gun and if her parents took any pre-emptive action when she came home beaten up on Monday will come out in the trial.