Police say man shot pregnant girlfriend in alleged attempt to kill her baby

A Missouri man is accused of shooting his pregnant girlfriend with a .380-caliber handgun after repeatedly striking her in the abdomen and threatening to “kill the baby,” authorities said.

Nicholas Geary, a Potosi resident born in 2006, was involved in what investigators described as a “domestic violence incident” with his significant other when he allegedly drew the firearm and shot her in the back, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

In a WCSO press release, officials said the victim told deputies her boyfriend had threatened to shoot her in the days before the attack, including threats aimed at her stomach because she was pregnant. Investigators said that on the day of the shooting, Geary struck her in the stomach and then shot her in the back.

Authorities said Geary later called 911 and claimed he had shot his girlfriend in self-defense.

According to a probable cause affidavit, when investigators asked what the victim had done to make him fear serious injury or death, Geary said she was getting out of the truck and was known to carry knives. The affidavit states that he fired at the confidential victim, hitting her in the back, with the round exiting through her back.

Geary allegedly acknowledged firing more than one shot at his girlfriend. The victim also told police he had previously talked about shooting her in the stomach to kill the baby, then shooting her in the head, the affidavit says.

The woman was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to her back. Although she told police she did not want to press charges, the affidavit says investigators believed charges were warranted because of the escalating violence between the domestic partners and the need to protect both the victim and her unborn child.

Police say Geary has no criminal history or prior arrests. He is charged with attempted murder, domestic assault, unlawful use of a weapon, and armed criminal action. Geary is currently being held at the Washington County Jail without bond.