A Leesburg man was arrested for battery after allegedly hitting his girlfriend and accidentally setting off a gun during an argument.
Officers responded to a townhome apartment regarding a battery around 1 a.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Donovan Liam English, 21, told dispatch that his girlfriend of about a year attacked him, and he accidentally fired his gun into the floor when she tried to grab it from him.
Upon arrival, an officer went into the residence through the back and observed a silver AMH firearm in a slightly opened case on the kitchen table. He also noticed a hole in the ceiling from where the firearm went off. He then spoke with the girlfriend, the report said.
She stated that the couple had been drinking and started to argue in their upstairs bedroom. During this time, English grabbed the firearm, and they continued to argue until she was struck on the top right side of her head. She could not explain if it was with the firearm or English’s hand, but he fired the gun away from her afterward, the report said.
When asked to explain the incident again, the girlfriend could not remember if she had grabbed English or not due to her being schizophrenic. He then grabbed the firearm and pointed it at her, although he did not threaten her. She reiterated that he struck her, but she again did not know if it was with the firearm or his hand, the report said.
The officer looked at her head and did not see any lacerations, bruising or redness to indicate she had been struck. He asked a third time what had happened, and she mentioned arguing with English downstairs before following him up to their bedroom. She noticed he was holding a firearm, but he never pointed it at her or threatened her before hitting her, the report said.
At that point, EMS took the girlfriend to UF Health Leesburg Hospital, located at 600 E Dixie Ave. The officer proceeded to interview her a fourth time, wherein she stated the argument started downstairs. They both went upstairs, where the fight continued as she sat down in the corner of the bedroom, the report said.
English next grabbed his firearm from somewhere near “his side of the bed.” He never pointed it at her and made no threats, so she did not fear for her life. They continued to argue until he struck her on the side of the head. He subsequently called 911 and accidentally set off the gun, although dispatchers never heard a shot being fired while on the phone, the report said.
Meanwhile, other officers spoke with English, who advised that he and the girlfriend were drinking when they started fighting about a past argument. He headed to the bathroom to shower and excuse himself from the situation. She followed him and tried to shut the door, the report said.
The girlfriend grabbed his hair and began punching him on the head. He punched her back twice to defend himself and separate from her. He then noticed his gun safe, a small lock box with no lock, was open, deciding to grab the firearm and the safe, the report said.
English wanted to remove the firearm from the area due to the girlfriend expressing multiple times in the past that she would harm herself. He could not explain why he removed the forearm from the safe in the first place, the report said.
While he moved the firearm, it accidentally went off when the girlfriend began coming toward him. He never threatened her with it, nor did he point it in her direction, the report said.
Due to the conflicting statements, English was arrested on charge of battery (domestic), use of a firearm under influence of alcohol, and shooting or throwing a missile into dwelling/vehicle/building/aircraft. The Maryland native was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $6,000 bond.