Man charged with attempted murder for shooting pregnant girlfriend

A Missouri man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder after shooting his pregnant girlfriend, who said he had previously threatened to kill her and the baby.

Key Takeaways:

• Nicholas Geary and his girlfriend were allegedly huffing air dusters together, and Geary got angry that she was huffing while pregnant.

• He admitted to shooting his girlfriend in the back, though he claimed it was in self-defense.

• The victim, who has remained anonymous, said Geary has been threatening to shoot her in the stomach and kill the baby.

• Both the victim and the baby survived.

The Details:

According to court documents, Nicholas Geary was arrested after police were alerted to the shooting when the victim went to the hospital to receive treatment for gunshot wounds.

Sheriff Scott Reed said the couple got in a fight after they both had been huffing. “They had been huffing air duster that you clean your keyboard off with, and it made them both high, and evidently, that’s what started the fight,” he said.

Geary allegedly became angry that his girlfriend was huffing while pregnant and started punching her in the stomach. He then shot her in the back. While Geary has admitted to the shooting, he claimed it was in self-defense. Geary said he feared for his life because his girlfriend was known to carry knives.

Geary's girlfriend told police he had repeatedly been threatening to "kill the baby" in the preceding days, telling her he would first shoot her in the stomach and then shoot her in the head. Though she said she didn't want to press charges, police felt Geary posed a violent threat to both her and her preborn child, and he was arrested.

“Anytime there’s violence like this, it has to be dealt with. And if it’s not, it’s going to escalate,” Reed said.

Mary Ann Owens, CEO of The Women’s Safe House, agreed. “We need that to happen more often because that’s one of the reasons that women don’t pursue it,” Owens said.

Geary is currently being held without bond and is facing charges of first-degree domestic assault, first-degree attempted murder, unlawful use of a weapon, and armed criminal action.

The Bottom Line:

Homicide is known to be a leading cause of death for pregnant women, higher than any pregnancy complication. Many incidents stem from domestic violence, often when a woman refuses to have an abortion at the father's request.