DETROIT – A woman is facing a second-degree murder charge after allegedly fatally shooting her boyfriend in their Detroit home where children were present.
According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, 29-year-old Shanitra Newson has been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old man last weekend.
At about 4:10 p.m. on March 19, police responded to the shooting at a home on Bringard Drive near Gratiot Avenue. Officials say that officers entered the home and found the 31-year-old man -- identified as Jamel Sandifer -- suffering from gunshot wounds to the wrist and the side of his body.
Sandifer was taken to the hospital, where he later died due to his injuries. Police said Saturday that the man made a “dying declaration, stating that the mother of his child shot him.”
Detroit police say the front door to the home was open when they arrived, and a 10-year-old boy was peering out from behind the bathroom door. Newson and Sandifer are reportedly the parents of the 10-year-old boy, and they all are said to have lived together at the home.
Another child -- a 10-month-old -- was also inside the home at the time of the shooting, officials said. Authorities said this child only belongs to Newson.
After further investigation, it is believed that a verbal argument escalated between Newson and Sandifer, which ended with Newson producing and firing a handgun at her boyfriend, prosecutors said Wednesday. Newson then fled the scene, but was arrested on Sunday.
The woman was charged Tuesday with one count of second-degree murder and one count of felony firearm. She was given a $250,000 bond and has been placed on house arrest with a GPS tether, officials said.
Newson is scheduled to appear in court again on April 22.
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