A man has been charged with a shooting last month that wounded a pregnant woman and led to her having a miscarriage, Cook County prosecutors said in court Friday.
Melvin Richmond, 30, faces charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm in the Dec. 26 shooting.
Richmond had been attending a Christmas party with his 8-year-old daughter earlier in the night and was driving his daughter to her mother’s home in the East Garfield Park neighborhood when he accidentally dialed her mother, who overheard him being “rude” to the child, prosecutors said.
Those comments led the girl’s mother, 30, to call Richmond and the two allegedly argued over the phone.
Shortly after, Richmond showed up at the woman’s home and began yelling and banging on the door, including trying to kick it in, prosecutors said.
The woman put her back to the door to hold it in place when Richmond allegedly fired multiple shots through the door, striking her in her back and leg. He then also allegedly fired multiple shots at her fiance’s car before leaving.
The woman was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she underwent surgery to repair her bowel and remove her gallbladder, and the trauma of her injuries led her to miscarry, prosecutors said.
Richmond initially faced an additional charge of involuntary manslaughter related to the miscarriage, but it was dropped by prosecutors at the hearing Friday.
Richmond was taken into custody Wednesday, court records show.
An assistant public defender for Richmond said his client had no previous criminal background and noted there were no witnesses who “actually saw” Richmond firing a gun.
Richmond was ordered held without bail and ordered to have no contact with the victim or witnesses in the case. His next court appearance was set for Jan. 25.
