Michigan father shot 2-year-old boy with shotgun and 'blew off half of his face' during heated argument with child's mother
A Michigan father who reportedly shot his two-year-old son in the face during a heated argument with the child's mother has been charged with attempted murder.
32-year-old Michael Christopher Glance was arraigned in April on several charges after the toddler was left in a critical condition from his injuries, according to WILX.
On April 16, Glance got into an altercation with the boy's mother, Nicole McCarthy, at their residence in the 400th block of Barrett Avenue in Blackman Township, according to Jackson police.
Glance first held a pistol to his son's head and even pulled the trigger. Fortunately, the firearm did not go off at the time, Jackson County Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kati Rezmierski said.
Before Glance could try to shoot him again, the child's mother grabbed him and ran towards the car.
However, Glance quickly followed them outside, this time with a shotgun.
"He pointed the shotgun at the same two-year-old son of his that was strapped defenseless in the back seat of the car. He pointed it at him and blew off half of his face." Rezmierski told WILX.
After shooting his son in the face, Glance chased McCarthy while trying to fire the malfunctioning pistol, and eventually left the scene after multiple failed attempts.
Authorities were able to track Glance down on McCain Road shortly after the incident, and he was immediately arrested.
On April 18, Glance appeared in court for the first time via video link. He was seen wearing an orange jumpsuit as he heard the charges against him—three counts of assault with intent to murder, and three felony firearms charges.
In May, Judge Michael Klaeren did not decide whether Glance would be able to stand trial, saying a forensic examiner will be called in as a witness after determining whether Glance is mentally fit to do the same.
The judge subsequently ordered the state-run Center for Forensic Psychiatry to conduct a mental evaluation on Glance to determine if he could be held criminally liable for his alleged crimes.
That said, the boy, identified as Ryker, spent 27 days at Ann Arbor’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital before being discharged.
A GoFundMe account has raised over $82,000 to cover the costs of several surgeries the child had to undergo.
In May this year, Ryker's family said they were overwhelmed by the level support they received after the disturbing incident, and said the two-year-old boy is doing well.
"[Ryker] still has a long road to recovery, and if it wasn’t for all the support, I don’t think we would have made it this far," Ryker's grandfather Doug McCarthy told MLive.
If convicted on the assault with intent to murder charge, Glance faces up to life in prison.