Assault yes, murder no. I've been shot in the inner thigh while cycling, and I guarantee, it hurts like hell. And I've had some punk ass wannabe gang member take a shot at my (now ex) wife while we were riding. She was 50 feet or so in front, and I was behind her pulling the trailer with our 2 month old son. I actually saw the hand out the window, the shiny .22, and the report when it fired. Of course, I might have mixed feelings if someone were to take a shot at her today, but that's beside the point. In California, the law makes no distinction between pellet/BB guns and powder/cartridge weapons. They are all firearms.

Yeah, kids are dumb. Time will tell whether these kids were just really stupid, or genuinely malicious.