A 47-year-old Browning man accused of firing a gun into an occupied house during a dispute admitted to a federal assault crime on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Gerald Anthony Bullchild on Sept. 20 pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon before Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris.
U.S. Attorney Kalah A. Paisley is prosecuting the case.
According to court documents, Bullchild on March 28, 2021, drove to the home of a former girlfriend to speak with their minor child. When the child refused to go with Bullchild, the defendant started yelling and honking at his former girlfriend, who went outside to speak with him.
The verbal exchange continued until Bullchild left, records state. He later returned and resumed yelling and honking and his former girlfriend refused to leave the home. As Bullchild started to leave, he fired a pistol round into the living room. The .45-caliber bullet traveled through the front wall of the house and lodged in the couch where it bumped against the leg of the child on the couch, according to charges.
Law enforcement recovered a spent .45-caliber shell casing and an empty .45-caliber magazine from the vehicle.
Bullchild faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.