2-Year-Old Shot In Face, Allegedly By His Father, Gun Malfunction Saves Mother

A Michigan man was accused of shooting his 2-year-old son in the face during a heated argument with the victim’s mother.

Michael Christopher Glance, 32, was charged Thursday for three counts each of assault with intent to murder (punishable by up to life in prison) and felony firearms for an incident that took place April 16. According to authorities, the suspect entered into an argument with the boy’s mother in their Blackman Township home, Jackson County, during which he suddenly pointed his gun at the child’s temple. Although he pulled the trigger, the gun malfunctioned and the shot did not go off.

“For whatever reason, Mr. Glance decided to take his anger out on his 2-year-old child that day. It was by some divine intervention that gun malfunctioned and his life was spared, but how much of it was really spared?” Jackson County Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kati Rezmierski asked, during the suspect’s arraignment, MLive reported.

Taking the opportunity, the victim’s mother grabbed her son and ran down to the car, parked outside the house, and strapped him to the seat. Glance followed them with his shotgun, pointed it for a second time at his son and took another shot. “He pointed the gun directly at his son and blew half of his face off,” Rezmierski said.

Before fleeing the scene, Glance chased the boy’s mother with his firearm. The gun malfunctioned repeatedly as he tried in vain to get it to fire. The child was taken to Henry Ford Allegiance Health in critical condition and later airlifted to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. As of Sunday, he continued to be in a stable state.

A GoFundMe page was set up by well-wishers to cover the boy’s medical expenses. It raised over $36,000 of its $50,000 goal in five days.

“As a result of his injuries, Ryker has had five surgeries in the past 24 hours to repair his face, hand, arm and lungs. He had titanium placed in his jaw and surgeons have reconstructed his mouth, gums and nose. Ryker now has over 100 stitches in his face post-surgery and is still listed in critical care with a ventilator and feeding tube installed in his stomach. He has a long road of recovery ahead with more surgeries to come. We are enlisting your help to raise funds to assist with any medical expenses, lodging, travel, lost wages and any other expenses incurred during this difficult time for the family,” a description on the page read.

The local police enlisted the assistance of agencies such as Major Crimes Task Force and the Violent Crime Task Force to locate the suspect, who was arrested around 2 miles away from his home on the same day as the alleged incident. Although he has no criminal history, Rezmierski suspected there might be a few instances of unreported domestic violence.

His bond was set at $10 million and his preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 1.