Florida Man Accused of Shooting Ex’s 7-Year-Old Son Durin…

A Florida man is behind bars after authorities say he opened fire on his ex-girlfriend’s car during a high-speed chase and wounded her 7-year-old son.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday that authorities arrested Sammie Lee Underwood III three days after the Aug. 9 shooting in Callaway, a suburb of Panama City. According to an arrest affidavit, Underwood met his ex-girlfriend and her two children at a seafood restaurant that evening. Deputies said he became “extremely irate” after believing another man was in her vehicle, despite her denying the allegation.

The woman told investigators she drove away with her children, but Underwood chased her in his SUV, attempting to run them off the road while firing shots. He eventually pulled alongside her and shot into the car, striking the boy in the back.

She escaped and drove to her sister’s home, where the boy was taken to a hospital and is recovering, the sheriff’s office said. Underwood’s SUV was later found abandoned, and two days after the shooting, deputies spotted him leaving an apartment and arrested him during a vehicle stop. Authorities said he was carrying multiple drugs, including fentanyl, hydrocodone, OxyContin, methamphetamine, and marijuana.

He faces multiple charges, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault, discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, hit-and-run, tampering with evidence, grand theft of a firearm, and possession of firearms and drugs.

Investigators also arrested a woman accused of giving Underwood a ride after the shooting and helping him dispose of the gun. She is charged with accessory after the fact to a 2nd degree felony, violation of probation, and marijuana possession less than 20 grams.