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'My Baby Could Have Died': Marquell Johnson Charged In Drive-By Shooting That Injured 5-Year-Old Mpls. Girl

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 27-year-old man has been charged in connection to the shooting of 5-year-old Jayda Holmes, who was shot in the foot while asleep in bed Monday.

Marquell Deon Johnson, of Minneapolis, has been charged with recklessly shooting toward an occupied building while in a vehicle, and possessing a firearm after being convicted of a crime. Both are felony charges.

Holmes was sleeping when a bullet went through her bedroom wall on 4th Street North. Martha Timberlake, Holmes's mother, says the bullet went over her head before hitting her foot.

RELATED: 'I'm Happy She's Here': 5-Year-Old Gunshot Victim, Mother Speak Out

"I was sleeping and then I heard the bullet getting ready to shoot my wall," Holmes said. "It felt like blood was dripping all over my other leg and stuff and it was dripping on my other leg."

Holmes's mother, Martha Timberlake, told police she saw Johnson outside her duplex Monday morning and had a bad feeling because she knew he was connected to the people who live upstairs. A couple minutes later, she heard gun shots.

Timberlake was able to give authorities a photo from social media and alias for Johnson. From that, investigators were able to find photos showing him holding a Glock handgun. Johnson is not allowed to carry a firearm given his extensive criminal history, which police say includes a felony conviction of second-degree burglary in 2012.

A number of surveillance cameras in the area also captured Johnson arriving in the neighborhood, then speeding out of the alley shortly after the gunshots.

Although she's grateful her daughter is still alive, Timberlake did not mince words in a Facebook post of her own, writing, "This is the face of someone who shoots ... at a house knowing there are kids upstairs and downstairs," along with a picture of the suspect.

She expressed her disappointment with the charges, and believes Johnson should be facing attempted murder charges.

"I'm happy, but I'm angry at the same time," she wrote. "My baby could have died behind his actions."

Johnson is expected to make his first court appearance on Friday. If convicted on both charges, he could face up to 25 years in prison.

Holmes will enter kindergarten in just a few weeks with a shattered foot, but her spirit is unbreakable. Doctors hope she will be out of her wheelchair in October.

Click here to visit Jayda's GoFundMe page.

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