Ohio Woman Sentenced After Shooting 5-Month-Old Granddaughter in the Face

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Gun violence remains a serious problem in the United States, as tens of thousands of lives are lost each year. Tragically, firearms are the No. 1 cause of death for children in the nation. Although it’s unusual for this type of violence to happen at the hands of a grandparent, an Ohio woman was recently sentenced after shooting her 5-month-old granddaughter in the face.

Mia Harris of Liberty Township, Ohio, learned her fate in late October. In December 2023, she pointed a gun at her daughter-in-law, Destiny Buffington, before aiming the firearm at her baby granddaughter. Although the little girl lived, Harris will spend more than a decade behind bars for her crime.

The Ohio grandmother was sentenced on October 29.

@cle.clever HAMILTON, Ohio — A Liberty Township grandmother accused of shooting her 6-month-old granddaughter pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon inside a Butler County courtroom. Mia Harris, 43, pleaded guilty to felonious assault. In exchange for her plea, three other counts of felonious assault and one count of firing a weapon into a habitation were dropped. On Dec. 9, 2023, Harris shot her granddaughter, Myra, then left the scene. Investigators said they located her driving the wrong way on I-75. She was eventually arrested. When deputies asked her why she shot her granddaughter, they said Harris replied, "That was not my grandbaby. Sorry, not sorry" Myra was critically injured but survived. #Hamiltonohio #grandmother #Miaharris #guilty #shooting #granddaughter #survived ♬ original sound - Cle Clever

Harris was sentenced to nine to 12 years in prison for shooting her 5-month-old granddaughter, WXIX reported. Harris pleaded guilty to felonious assault charges in early October. According to Harris’ attorney, mental health played a role in the shooting, per WLWT. However, prosecutors said substance abuse was the main factor.

Last year, police responded to a call about an infant being shot.

About 1:50 a.m. December 9, 2023, police got a call about “an infant being shot,” according to a Butler County Sheriff news release, per People. Officers discovered baby Myra with a gunshot wound to the head. First responders took the infant to a nearby hospital, where she was listed in critical condition.

Harris shot at several family members before intentionally shooting her granddaughter.

“Mia Harris, the grandmother of the child, was identified by witnesses as the shooter,” the Butler County Sheriff news release read. “During the incident Harris shot at several family members before intentionally shooting the child.”

Harris broke down a “locked bedroom door” after firing a handgun through the bedroom door multiple times,” according to a criminal complaint, per People. She then “shot [the infant] in the head at close range while laying on the bed.”

Although Harris left the scene, officers later arrested her without any issues.

The baby girl will have special needs for the rest of her life.

Buffington told WLWT that doctors initially gave Myra three days to live. After undergoing an emergency surgery, however, Buffington said she felt her daughter squeeze her finger. Myra spent 65 days in the hospital before her release and will have seizures and special needs for the rest of her life.

At the sentencing, Buffington addressed Harris directly.

“What you did will never go away,” Harris’ daughter-in-law told her during sentencing, according to WLWT. “She will never have a grandma again. You took that from her. You took me having a mother-in-law.”

Buffington added, “You took everything away from me. … I had to plead for my life, and then you shot my daughter in front of me. That will never go away, and I stand here today 10 times stronger than the woman I was a year ago.”