A Grandmother Shot Baby Granddaughter in the Face. The Child's Mother Confronted Her at Sentencing

An Ohio grandmother, who admitted to shooting her 5-month-old granddaughter in the face, was sentenced Tuesday, Oct. 29, to nine to 12 years in prison.

Mia Harris pleaded guilty to felonious assault charges in early October, WXIX reported.

"What you did will never go away,” Destiny Buffington, the child’s mother and Harris' daughter-in-law, said during sentencing, per WLWT. “She will never have a grandma again. You took that from her. You took me having a mother-in-law. 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."

Police were called to a townhouse in Liberty Township for a report of "an infant being shot" around 1:50 a.m. on Dec. 9, 2023, according to a Butler County Sheriff press release.

At the scene, officers found the infant suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. She was taken to UC West Chester Hospital where she was listed in critical condition.

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After the shooting, authorities said, Harris fled the area and was later arrested without incident, according to the release.

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

According to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Harris broke down "a locked bedroom door, after firing a handgun through the bedroom door multiple times."

Harris "then shot [the infant] in the head at close range while laying on the bed," according to the complaint.

Destiny said her daughter, who spent 65 days in the hospital, will have seizures and special needs for the rest of her life, WLWT reported.

Defense attorneys argued in court that the grandmother “snapped" due to a mental health episode, per Dayton247Now.

"Call it a breakdown, call it a mental breakdown... she just snapped,” Harris’s attorney said.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.