Four Kansas City children at home when their mother is shot in the face

A Kansas City man has been been charged with shooting his girlfriend in the face while four children were inside the house.

Mervin M. McNeal, 34, was charged in Jackson County Circuit Court with first-degree domestic assault and armed criminal action.

The victim was hospitalized in critical condition after the incident early Thursday morning.

At the hospital she was able to say that her children were left unattended at her house in the 2400 block of Park Avenue.

Kansas City police went to the house and found a bloody crime scene and the four children, ages 11, 9, 7 and 1.

They were physically unharmed. The older children told police that they heard their mother and McNeal in an argument before they heard a loud bang.

Police later found McNeal walking along a street and noted that he had what appeared to be blood on his clothing.

When questioned, McNeal told officers that he was holding his rifle when it accidentally fired. He said he drove the victim to the area of 25th Street and Troost Avenue. He said he got out of the car, and she drove the rest of the way to the hospital.

The gun, a .223-caliber assault-style rifle, was found in a yard near the house.

This story was originally published March 16, 2018 at 2:46 PM with the headline "Four Kansas City children at home when their mother is shot in the face."