MIAMI – A Miami man was arrested early Tuesday after police said he accidentally shot his girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter as she slept with her siblings on a futon.
Jonathan Craig, 41, faces charges of child abuse, aggravated battery and drug trafficking.
According to the arrest report, Craig, who lives with his girlfriend and her three children, said he saw armed men walking outside his apartment complex near Northwest 12th Avenue and Northwest 66th Street about 1 a.m. Craig picked up a handgun and repeatedly manipulated the slide of the gun, causing one of the children to ask him to leave the living room, the report said.
Craig then took the weapon into their mother's bedroom, the report said.
The three children fell asleep on the futon in the living room, but were awoken by the sound of a gunshot just before 3 a.m., the report said. Sasha Wheelers, 5, had been shot in the back.
Craig reportedly screamed, "Oh no. Damn. Damn," and ran to the mother's bedroom.
According to the report, Sasha's mother confronted Craig, saying, "You did this!" Craig replied, "I f**ked up," the report said.
When officers arrived, the mother was cradling Sasha in her arms. Paramedics took Sasha to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where she is listed in stable condition.
Police said they found a bag of heroin after searching the home.
Craig is currently being held without bond at Miami-Dade County's Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
"I just turn to the Lord," the girl's grandmother, Sonya Wheelers, said. "I just couldn't believe it, you know? I just pray and thank God for her being alright. That's all I can do, you know. Just pray and thank him for her being alive."
While Sasha is expected to recover, neighbors said they are tired of the violence in the area and are left wondering who fired the bullet and why.
"Everyday, you know, you wonder when is something going to happen," Althea Fredrick said.