In an astonishing incident where her 6-month-old granddaughter unexpectedly survived, a 43-year-old Ohio grandma admits to shooting her in the eye.
According to online court documents, 43-year-old Mia Desiree Harris entered a guilty plea to felonious assault on Tuesday. Two charges were dropped over alleged assaults on other family members.
The sequence of events started on December 9. According to a news statement from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the 6800 block of Dutch View Court in Liberty Township, which is approximately 25 miles north of Cincinnati, at 1:50 a.m. on a complaint of an infant being shot.
In the 911 call, the mother told dispatchers, “My baby’s been shot. My baby’s been shot,” local affiliate WXIX reported.
“Someone shot your baby?” the 911 operator asked, the station reported.
“Yes … Lord, please save my baby,” she replied.
First responders found the victim, who looked to have sustained a gunshot wound to the head, as Law&Crime previously reported. The infant was shot in the eye, according to Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones, who spoke with local Fox affiliate WXIX. The infant was brought in critical condition to a hospital.
Since then, her condition has been beyond all expectations, according to the Journal-News.
Harris is accused of trying to hurt more family members than only the young victim.
“During the incident, Harris shot at several family members before intentionally shooting the child,” the sheriff’s office wrote in the release.
According to a copy of the criminal complaint submitted to Butler County Area 2 Court, Harris also “knowingly” struck another victim in the face with a fist, causing “serious physical harm.” The victim’s name has been withheld.
“Harris then broke down a locked bedroom door, after firing a handgun through the bedroom door multiple times,” the document states.
According to the authorities, Harris was declared the primary suspect as soon as many witnesses told officers that she was the shooter. She managed to get away before the deputies showed up, but they soon apprehended her.
That was not my grandbaby, she told deputies when they asked why she did it. Detective Daniel Turner apologised in court, according to WCPO, a local ABC affiliate.
Additionally, she informed investigators that “she was not going to allow her family to take all of her money and then leave.” Turner said that “they crucified her, so she crucified them,” according to WCPO.
When talking about the situation with WXIX, Jones was honest.
“It wasn’t an accident. It was on purpose. This is one of the most disgusting, vile criminal acts I’ve ever seen, shooting a 6-month-old baby. What makes it even worse is this is the baby’s grandmother,” Jones told the station. “She went and shot this child and doesn’t appear to have any remorse whatsoever. I feel sorry for the baby, the family, and everybody that’s dealing with this. The doctors, the life squad people, the deputies, everybody. This is as bad as it gets.”
In addition, the sheriff described the situation as “one of the worst things I’ve seen” and nasty.
Harris’s sentencing is scheduled for October 29 and she might spend 15 years behind bars.
