BG woman shot while baby in home; police seek suspect

Published 8:03 am Monday, December 10, 2018

A Bowling Green woman was shot multiple times in her apartment Sunday morning, and police have named a suspect who they are attempting to locate.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Michael Simmons Jr. that charges him with first-degree assault and first-degree burglary.

Simmons is wanted in the shooting of Jessica Freeman, 20, at her apartment on North Mill Avenue.

Bowling Green Police Department officers were called to the scene about 12:30 a.m. Sunday after Freeman dialed 911 to report being shot four times.

Freeman also told dispatchers that her 4-month-old son was with her, according to a BGPD incident report prepared by Officer Thomas Bugsch.

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Police entered the apartment and heard Freeman screaming for help upstairs.

Officers noticed a door leading to the garage was open, with the frame damaged and the knob broken.

Freeman was found nude in her bedroom, lying on the floor next to her bed, with blood covering her face, upper body and right leg.

Her son was sitting in a cradle chair, according to the BGPD report.

Police applied a tourniquet to Freeman’s right leg above the knee, where one of the bullets had struck, and a bandage was applied to a second bullet wound on her upper right thigh.

A third bullet wound was located on Freeman’s back on the left side of her rib cage near her lung and was bandaged.

“Freeman continued to cough and attempt to vomit but was able to answer a few questions before EMS arrived on scene,” Bugsch said in the police report.

Freeman gave police her name and the name of the person who shot her, the report said.

She was taken by ambulance to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

Police made contact with a neighbor, who said he did not see or hear anything.

A roommate, Tracy Stewart, was contacted by police and he said he could not think of a person who would want to hurt Freeman or a reason for anyone to hurt her.

“(Stewart) did, however, mention that their residence had been broken into on Oct. 18,” Bugsch said in the report.

Police found that a report regarding that burglary was completed Oct. 18 and that a drug trafficking complaint reported Aug. 31 was determined to be unfounded.

Police had also responded Sept. 21 to the address regarding a drug tip, and officers left a contact card at the time, according to the report.

– Follow courts reporter Justin Story on Twitter @jstorydailynews or visit bgdailynews.com.