ST. PETERSBURG - An 18-year-old woman was shot in the head early Monday in what her boyfriend called an accident before he disappeared, police said.
Sierra Nicole Wilson was in critical condition at Bayfront Medical Center, and police were searching for her boyfriend, 24-year-old John Jermain Wilson.
The couple have the same last name, police said, but they are not married.
Investigators said John Wilson called 911 about 2 a.m. Monday to report that a gun had accidentally gone off in Sierra Wilson's apartment at 3401 37th St. S and that she had been struck. When police arrived, they found her in a bedroom. The couple's 6-month-old son and Sierra Wilson's mother were sleeping in the apartment at the time of the shooting. They were not injured.
Police recovered a handgun. John Wilson was gone.
"He has not been charged," St. Petersburg police Detective Karl Sauer said. "But we're looking for him. We need to talk to him."
Court records show John Wilson has been arrested several times, including on a battery charge to which he pleaded no contest in April. He is scheduled to be sentenced May 11.
Anyone with information is asked to call Sauer at (727) 893-4904.
