Mom shoots 'intruder' who turned out to be her daughter surprising her from college
A mother allegedly mistakenly shot her 18-year-old daughter when she came home from college to surprise her. The unnamed Girard, Ohio, woman fired a single shot at a person she assumed was an intruder, striking her daughter in the arm, WFMJ reports.
Late Friday night, the 18-year-old, along with her boyfriend, entered her mother's house in an attempt to surprise her. From her mother's point of view, however, she believed an intruder was entering her home and felt the need to defend herself.
When her daughter opened her mom’s bedroom door, the mother fired a single shot from a .38 special, striking her daughter's elbow. It wasn't until the mom fired the gun that she realized it was her daughter.
The daughter's boyfriend, in audio obtained by WFMJ, made the call to 911.
"My girlfriend just came home from college and her mom didn't know, like honestly — she accidentally shot her and we don't know what to do," the boyfriend told dispatch. When asked how badly she was bleeding, the boyfriend responded, "It's pretty bad."
Girard Police Chief John Norman, who did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s off-hours requests for comment, told WFMJ, "The mother who has a valid CCW permit — even though she was in her own house — was startled by some noises she heard in the kitchen or hallway area. She stated that the bedroom door opened where she was at, and she had a gun readily available and she fired a round at someone coming through the door."
Responding Girard firefighters and police reported seeing the 18-year-old being walked down the driveway with her right arm wrapped in a bloody towel.
Detectives who arrived on the scene found the revolver on the floor of the bedroom, next to the bed, with four live rounds and one spent round in the cylinder. The weapon was taken into evidence.
At this time, it is unknown whether the mother will be prosecuted.
"We will collect all the facts, and we will present it to a prosecutor, not to be malicious. But we have to present the facts like we would in any other case,” Chief Norman said. “At that point, the prosecutor will make a decision whether we will go ahead and charge or not charge in this case.”
According to the family, the victim is currently out of the hospital and resting.
"If you realize someone has a gun for protection and they're not expecting you, announce yourself when you enter the home," Chief Norman advised. "Even if you're getting up to get a drink of water in the middle of the night, just announce yourself."
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