Miami

Mother, Boyfriend Arrested After 5-Year-Old Girl Shot in Miami Home

Tralliney Shondrea Coleman and Jonathan Craig were arrested after Coleman's 5-year-old daughter was shot, police said

What to Know

  • Tralliney Shondrea Coleman and Jonathan Craig were arrested after Coleman's 5-year-old daughter was shot, police said

The mother of a 5-year-old girl who was shot in the back by the mom's boyfriend in their Miami apartment after the man had been playing with the gun and talking about armed men walking around the home has been arrested, authorities said.

Tralliney Shondrea Coleman, 43, was arrested Tuesday on charges including child neglect, drug trafficking, giving false information to authorities and failing to keep a firearm in safe storage, record showed.

Coleman's boyfriend, 41-year-old Jonathan Craig, was also arrested Tuesday on a number of charges including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated child abuse, drug trafficking and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to an arrest report.

According to the report, Craig was in the apartment he shares with Coleman and her three children in Liberty City near Northwest 66th Street and 12th Avenue when 5-year-old Sasha Wheelers was shot around 3 a.m. Tuesday.

Around 1 a.m., Craig started talking about armed men walking around the building and began to "repeatedly manipulate the slide of a black handgun in the living room" in front of the children, the report said.

He was told to leave the room, and the three kids fell asleep on a futon in the living room. A short time later, one of the kids was awakened by a gunshot and found Craig standing over her siblings saying "Oh no, damn damn," the report said.

The girl turned to her 5-year-old sister and saw that she had been shot in the back, the report said. Craig temporarily fled the scene with the gun in his hand but returned and was confronted by a witness who started screaming "You did this!" the report said. "I f---ed up," Craig responded, according to the report.

Officers responded and found Wheelers in her mother's arms. She was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center where she's expected to survive.

According to Coleman's arrest report, she initially told officers that she had no idea how her daughter was shot or who shot her. She later admitted that Craig was responsible for the shooting, the report said.

The loaded handgun was found at the scene, along with a clear plastic bag containing 11 grams of suspected heroin, the report said. The living conditions of the home were described as "deplorable" in the arrest report, with a "severe infestation of roaches in the kitchen, bathroom, closets, and living room."

The report also noted that Craig has 10 felony convictions, with the latest one in June 2012.

Craig was booked into jail, where he remained held without bond Wednesday, records showed. Coleman was being held Wednesday on $66,500 bond, records showed. Attorney information wasn't available.

While the 5-year-old girl remained hospitalized Wednesday, her two siblings were staying in foster homes, awaiting a hearing scheduled for next week to determine if they'll be allowed to live with their great aunt.

Contact Us