A 28-year-old Memphis man is accused of chasing his girlfriend into her children's bedroom and spraying a four-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl with a chemical agent during a domestic assault, in a case that is only now reaching court after a summer of escalating allegations against him.
Shawn McMillan was booked into the Shelby County Jail on Sunday, more than three months after the alleged attack inside a Raleigh apartment, according to WREG. He faces two counts of child abuse, child neglect or endangerment involving a child under age 8, aggravated assault, and domestic assault, and he is scheduled for a video arraignment today.
According to the victim's account to police, the July 6 incident began when McMillan pointed a gun at her during an argument, then punched her and sprayed her face with chemical self-defense spray he had taken from her purse. She told police she ran into her children's bedroom to get away from him, but McMillan followed her and kept spraying, ultimately hitting both children with the chemical agent as well, per her account relayed by WREG.
A Pattern Police Say Stretches Back to June
Sunday's booking was not McMillan's first brush with the law involving this same relationship. Police say McMillan and the victim have a history of domestic violence, and MPD said he was arrested for simple assault on June 26, weeks before the alleged chemical attack on the children.
Just a day before the incident involving the kids, the victim said McMillan grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground during a July 5 confrontation, and that she lost consciousness. She told police she woke up on the kitchen floor to find McMillan gone. He was charged with aggravated assault and domestic violence in connection with that earlier incident.
What Tennessee Law Says About the Charges
The strangulation allegation from July 5 carries particular legal weight under state law. Tennessee Code § 39-13-102 explicitly defines strangulation or attempted strangulation as grounds for aggravated assault, according to Garza Law, meaning prosecutors can pursue the charge even without visible injury if breathing or blood circulation was impeded. That same statute classifies intentional aggravated assault involving strangulation or a weapon as a Class C felony, carrying a potential three to 15 years in prison and fines up to $15,000, per Justia Law.
The charges tied to the children carry their own statutory weight. Knowingly abusing or neglecting a child aged eight or younger is classified as a Class E felony under Tennessee Code § 39-15-401(b), which imposes stricter penalties than offenses involving older minors, according to FindLaw. The classification reflects a broader legislative shift: under Tennessee legislation that took effect in July 2025, state statutes were revised to ensure child abuse offenses carry felony-level classifications, as explained by N. Cate Law.
Domestic Violence Remains a Stubborn Problem Locally
McMillan's case arrives during October, which is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, against a backdrop of reported changes in domestic-violence incidents locally.
The Shelby County District Attorney's Office has pointed to its Specialized Domestic Violence Unit as a response to the volume of cases, reporting it handled more than 4,100 domestic violence cases in 2024 and secured guilty convictions in 10 of 11 cases that went to trial. The Memphis Police Department has also built out a Domestic Violence Prolific Offender Initiative aimed at tracking and prosecuting repeat offenders in intimate partner cases.
People experiencing domestic violence can also contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
It remains unclear whether a protective order was in place at the time of the July 6 attack, what specific chemical agent was used inside the apartment, or exactly how McMillan's June and July arrests were handled in the months before his October 18 booking. Hoodline has previously covered Tennessee's domestic violence laws and the resources available to survivors across Shelby County.
