A 31-year-old Monroe mother is behind bars after her 4-year-old daughter was found shot multiple times inside a home late Thursday night, according to police. Officers performed immediate lifesaving measures and the child was rushed by Walton County EMS to an Atlanta-area pediatric trauma center, where she remains in serious condition in the intensive care unit. Detectives say the investigation into the shooting is active and ongoing.
Police: Late-Night Chaos, Fast Rescue, Swift Arrest
Officers with the City of Monroe Police Department were dispatched to the 700 block of Ridge Road at about 9:44 p.m. on July 23 and found the child inside the home suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to a news release and reporting by FOX 5 Atlanta. Responding officers rendered emergency first aid, carried the child from the scene and transferred her to Walton County EMS. EMS then coordinated a high-speed emergency escort through Walton, Gwinnett and DeKalb counties to a pediatric trauma hospital.
Detectives placed the child's mother, identified as Ashley Brown, 31, into custody at the scene. Police say she faces multiple criminal counts listed in the department's release.
What The Charges Mean
According to police, Brown faces counts including aggravated assault, aggravated battery, two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and discharging a firearm near a roadway.
Georgia’s cruelty-to-children statute, OCGA § 16-5-70, defines first-degree child cruelty as maliciously causing a child cruel or excessive physical or mental pain and carries a prison term of five to 20 years; see the statute as published by Justia. Possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony is covered by OCGA § 16-11-106 and can add a mandatory consecutive sentence, and the law restricting discharge near public roads is at OCGA § 16-11-103. Both create separate criminal exposure; see the firearm statute on Syfert and the roadway discharge law on Justia for the texts cited by prosecutors.
Investigation Still Wide Open
The Monroe Police Department says detectives are continuing to investigate and have not released a motive or a detailed timeline of events, according to the department’s news release. Police reiterated that the child remains hospitalized in serious condition and that the case remains active. More information will be released as investigators and prosecutors move forward, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
The charges against the suspect are allegations, and she is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. This story will be updated as official records, police statements or court filings become available.
