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Ottawa County man who shot girlfriend in front of their kids charged with assault

The couple's 16-year-old son stabbed the man in the neck to stop the attack, authorities said. The woman and the accused attacker are expected to recover.

OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — An Ottawa County man is facing multiple felony charges for a domestic violence attack last weekend.

Vaughn Smith was arraigned Wednesday in 58th District Court on two counts of assault with intent to murder, three counts of felony firearms and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. 

His bond was set at $5,000,000 and he remains in the Ottawa County Jail. 

The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office said the altercation between the couple happened around 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 23 near Allendale in Robinson Township. 

Neighbors who called 911 reportedly saw a man in his front yard shooting at people in the house, including his partner and children that were in the home.

The woman, 34, was shot in the leg and the head. She is now home from the hospital and is expected to recover. 

In an effort to protect the woman and other children, a 16-year-old boy in the home stabbed the man in the neck, deputies said. 

Smith is accused of also shooting at that teenager who defended his mother, but the boy wasn't struck by bullets, authorities said. 

The couple was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office said Smith was treated for his stab wounds and has since been released from the hospital. He's expected to recover. 

Investigators say there were five children in the home at the time of the incident. None of them were hurt.

Credit: Ottawa County Sheriff's Office

The incident started following a "domestic argument," according to investigators. Deputies are calling it a "chaotic scene," saying there were many people at the home when deputies arrived.

“When you have a situation like this and you have that many people involved, it can be difficult. They're all either suspects, victims or witnesses," said Captain Jake Sparks. "And so our job is to try to figure out which is which, while still being concerned with the welfare of those children and the welfare of those people who are injured.”

The incident happened near Ottawa Area Center School, which is part of the Ottawa ISD. The school was placed on lockdown out of caution that day. 

Deputies say the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office has specialists trained to interview children who witnessed traumatic events. Those specialists were called to the home to speak with the children. 

The children have since been reunited with family.

"Right now our main focus is the children who were involved in this and saw something very traumatic with their parents, and also those with grievous injuries," said Sparks.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office or Silent Observer at 1-877-88-SILENT (745368) or mosotips.com.

If you or someone you know is in an unsafe relationship and need help, know there are resources available. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7 at 800-799-7233. You can also text START to 88788. 

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