File Photo of Police Car.
She awoke July 4 to a beating that left her with a swollen lip, injured left eye, and patches of hair ripped out of her head and the father of her child is in jail as a result, Fort Lauderdale Police said.
Demetrius Jamal Gunn, 29, has known the woman since 2018 and they share a five-year-old daughter, but according to the arrest report, Gunn went ballistic July 5 and fired a shot at her.
She was driving through Fort Lauderdale trying to shake Gunn who was following in his gray Audi Q7. At one point she heard a loud pop, then a whistling noise by her right ear before her rearview mirror shattered, the report stated.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
Gunn continued to follow her until she arrived home where police were waiting. She told officers about the abuse she had endured the day before and her efforts to escape Gunn, investigators said.
She told them she had gone to an urgent care clinic after the beating, but medical personnel recommended hospital care because of the severity of her injuries.
While she was being treated, Gunn showed up at her home that evening. Her cousin was there and was about to leave to pick her up at the hospital, but Gunn prevented the cousin from leaving by using a screwdriver to puncture the two driver’s side tires and shatter the rear window, according to the police report.
Local
Gunn told the cousin he did it because the victim had to “pay for what she did,” the report stated.
On July 5, the damaged car was towed to a repair shop. Gunn followed the tow truck and was circling the block while the victim waited for her car, police said.
He parked in an alley and walked up to the woman yelling, “Imma getchu, you gunna get it, Imma getchu if that’s the last thing I do,” and “if I’m finna lose everything [then] you finna lose everything,” the report stated.
While yelling, Gunn kept wiping his sweaty face with his T-shirt revealing a holstered gun with an extended magazine tucked inside the waistband of his pants, she reportedly told investigators.
Gunn drove away and she called 911 about 1:30 p.m. but left the repair shop before police arrived.
As she drove home, the shooting happened while she was at a stop sign at the intersection of Northwest 17 Street and 14 Avenue.
She got home about 2 p.m. and Gunn parked in a neighboring supermarket parking lot. She called police again and when officers arrived Gunn drove away, police said.
Lauderhill Police spotted Gunn’s Audi nearby and followed with emergency lights and siren activated. He sped away and eventually ditched the car and ran but backup officers and a Broward Sheriff’s helicopter found Gunn, investigators said.
Police said they found a holster on the ground but no gun.
During questioning, detectives said Gunn admitted to getting into a “tussle” with the mother of his child and to puncturing one tire on her car but denied having a gun and shooting at her.
He is facing charges that include attempted felony murder, battery, firing a shot at a car, and fleeing police. He remains in the Broward County Jail without bond, records show.
The woman's name was redacted from the police report.
