A Florida woman allegedly shot her own daughter after an argument and threats against a Lyft driver and passengers.
Melissa Valbrum, 32, reportedly got into a fight with someone in the McDonald’s parking lot in Miami’s Pinewood neighborhood, located on Northwest Seventh Avenue near 91st Street, according to Local 10.
The outlet went on to detail Valbrum’s arrest report, which revealed that she threatened a Lyft driver and his three passengers in the parking lot of the popular American fast-food chain shortly after 10 p.m. on Friday.
She reportedly had a gun, which she allegedly used to threaten one of the Lyft passengers after believing they had pointed at her. A back-and-forth ensued, during which the gun accidentally discharged, striking Valbrum’s daughter.
She later told the police that it was in her waistband, fell, and accidentally discharged. However, just before the incident, surveillance footage and phone video showed the Miami woman knocking on the windows of the Lyft vehicle while holding the firearm, according to local police.
“A firearm was accidentally discharged by an adult female,” Detective Andre D. Martin, a spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Police Department, said in an official statement. The incident is still being investigated.
The passengers also came forward and informed the police that they had indeed been pointing, but it had nothing to do with Valbrum. The passenger reportedly informed others in their party that the Lyft had arrived.
CBS News reported that all of this took place inside the restaurant. Valbrum’s 15-year-old daughter, who will not be named, corroborated her mother’s account, telling police that the Lyft passengers were pointing at Valbrum inside the restaurant, not outside on their ride.
Following the shooting, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel transported the daughter to Jackson Memorial Hospital, which houses the Ryder Trauma Center. The bullets struck the 15-year-old girl in the shoulder, according to reports.
NBC Miami reported that the teen’s condition was stable as of Sunday. Valbrum was then booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where she faces four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of battery, and one count of causing personal injury or culpable negligence.
