A 43-year-old Ohio woman pleaded guilty this week to felonious assault for shooting her 6-month-old granddaughter late last year. Fortunately, the infant survived.
Journal-News reported Tuesday that Mia Desriee Harris was scheduled to go to trial Sept. 30 but entered a guilty plea Tuesday in Butler County Common Pleas Court. She was charged with three counts of felonious assault and improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation.
Detective Daniel Turner asked Harris why she shot the child following her arrest, according to WCPO .
“She said, ‘That was not my grandbaby’ and at one point she said, ‘Sorry, not sorry,’” Turner testified, per the outlet. He also revealed that, after shooting the baby, Harris allegedly handed the infant to its mother and smiled before leaving the scene.
“Harris pleaded guilty to one count of felonious assault with a three-year gun specification which adds to the sentence for the shot that hit the baby,” the Journal-News said. “The remainder of the charges were dismissed in exchange for the plea.”
According to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio , Harris shot several family members before she intentionally shot her own baby granddaughter. Deputies were called to the scene on Dutch Court in Liberty Township at 1:50 a.m. Dec. 9.
By that time, Harris had fled the scene. First responders were able to transport the critically injured baby to UC West Chester Hospital and law enforcement located Harris and arrested her without incident. Witnesses identified her as the shooter. Court documents shared by Law & Crime said Harris broke down a locked bedroom door after firing a gun through the door multiple times.
“During the incident, Harris shot at family members before intentionally shooting the child,” Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones told FOX19 NOW shortly after the incident . “It was several family members together. There was arguing. They were fighting. She grabbed the weapon.”
Per the Journal-News report, there was “a tussle in the bedroom and Harris dropped the 9-millimeter Ruger, which was discovered under the bed, according to sheriff’s office detectives.”
Jones said that Harris shot her granddaughter in one eye. After the baby was at UC West Chester Hospital, she was then flown to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Avondale. Then sheriff also said that it appeared that Harris shot at her daughter, but missed.
“It wasn’t an accident. It was on purpose,” said Jones. He also called the crime “one of the most disgusting, vile criminal acts,” he’s seen and added that Harris did not seem to have any remorse.
Liberty Township Trustee Tom Farrell said: “I was sick to my stomach.”
As of this week, the baby girl is recovering. According to the Journal-News, she’s doing better than expected.
Now, Harris is expected to be sentenced for shooting on Oct. 29. She faces a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
This isn’t the only recent report of a child getting shot in the head. Last month, WWJ’s Charlie Langton spoke with Detroit Police Chief James White about a 7-year-old boy who was shot in the head while sleeping in his bed.
Those shots were fired in a drive-by shooting at around 5 a.m. Aug. 19 in the area of 8 Mile and Kelly roads. At the time Langton spoke to White, authorities believed the bullet was still in the child’s head but that he was expected to survive.
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