JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A woman was arrested after firing a BB gun into a crowd of people outside a Northside apartment complex Tuesday night and injuring five people, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Mileshia Thomas, 20, is charged with felony battery with great bodily harm.
Police were called just after 8 p.m. to the River City Place apartment complex on Haverford Road.
Witnesses told police a group of people were arguing in the parking lot of the complex when it started to escalate and Thomas began firing the BB gun.
News4Jax spoke with both sides of the argument on Thursday evening, with everyone seeming to agree the tension started over a relationship between two young people from both families.
On one side involved in the argument was Shanika Smith.
Smith said she and several of her children were among those injured from the BB gun pellets. Her son's head wound was, by far, the worst.
“I didn't know they were shot until after they started talking and grabbing their head and their arms and stuff," Smith said. "When we got back inside the house, my kids started showing me where they were getting shot at. Of course one of my sons, he was shot in the head and it took about four to six hours for them to even get the pellet out of his head.”
Smith said the tension between her family and the people across the parking lot have been going on for some time, but Tuesday's incident showed how bad it had escalated.
“We are at the point where were going to move because our kids are our first priority and we care about the safety of them,” Smith said.
Thomas' brother, Ira Lundy, told a different story, saying his sister only fired the BB gun because Smith's family threatened them
“It all started over my little sister," Lundy said. "She can't have a boyfriend so their (Smith's family) little brother, he came up and he is liking my sister and his oldest sister wanted to fight my little sister because she told him no. They've been bothering my family for a couple of months.”
Smith denied her family ever harassing Lundy's family.
Lundy said his family is ready to move too, but, for now, will stay inside and not engage in communication with Smith's family.
When asked if the argument went too far, Lundy said, "Yeah it did, but I mean if everybody could've settled it that would've been good, but it's obviously at this point.”
Thomas was booked into the Duval County Jail and being held on a $150,000 bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 1.