8-Month-Pregnant Mom and Fetus Survive Being Shot in Their Abdomens, Man Tells Emergency: 'Don't Worry' By Samira Asma-Sadeque

A Florida man is under arrest after his pregnant girlfriend and her unborn child survived being shot in both of their abdomens.

The victim, who has not been publicly named, was dropped off at a hospital in Brandon, Fla., early morning on Saturday, Nov. 22, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

The bullet “passed through the abdomen of the woman — who was about eight months pregnant — and the abdomen of the unborn child,” authorities alleged in a court document obtained by PEOPLE.

Police promptly identified 44-year-old Eric Patterson as a suspect, the sheriff’s office said in their statement. He was arrested on Tuesday.

In a pre-trial motion obtained by PEOPLE, authorities allege Patterson shot his girlfriend as she slept in bed. The couple share four children together.

Their 9-year-old daughter told police she woke up to a loud “bang” and saw Patterson apologizing to her mom, repeatedly saying, “I’m sorry, it was an accident,” as the woman held her stomach and cried.

A surveillance video near their residence caught the couple exiting their apartment as the woman held her stomach.

She was dropped off at a hospital before Patterson allegedly fled, per investigators.

In an emergency procedure, the baby was removed from her womb, and the bullet was removed from the baby’s abdomen in a separate surgery, the court document stated.

“What could have ended as a heartbreaking tragedy is now a miracle story of survival and resilience,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the department’s press statement.

“It is truly extraordinary that both the mother and her newborn baby survived,” he added, commending the mother and child’s “strength in the face of this tragedy.”

Phone records show around the time of the alleged shooting, dispatch received a call from a number belonging to Patterson, where a male caller said “Don’t worry” before hanging up, per the pretrial motion.

Patterson also allegedly called the victim’s mother and apologized.

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Patterson is facing multiple charges including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon on a pregnant female; tampering with physical evidence; child neglect; and possessing a firearm as a felon, per Hillsborough County officials.

Online court records for Patterson did not show plea or attorney information.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.