Prosecutors said Davaris Washington mistakenly fired a handgun while trying to test a cordless drill near the 18-month-old girl.
CHICAGO, IL — A 38-year-old Chicago man was ordered held pending trial Monday after prosecutors said he mistakenly fired a handgun while trying to operate a cordless drill, critically wounding an 18-month-old girl who was in a car seat inside a Southwest Side apartment.
Davaris Washington faces four felony charges in connection with the early Saturday shooting in the 6400 block of South Mozart Street. Chicago police said he was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, unlawful use of a machine gun or automatic weapon, reckless conduct causing great bodily harm and possession of a firearm by a repeat felony offender. The allegations against Washington have not been proven in court.
Prosecutors provided new details about the shooting during Washington’s detention hearing Monday. They said Washington was dating the girl’s mother and had arranged a rideshare to bring the woman and her daughter to his apartment. The child had fallen asleep during the ride and was in her car seat after they arrived, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors alleged that Washington later entered the living room carrying a Glock handgun in one hand and a cordless drill in the other. He intended to briefly operate the drill to determine whether its noise would disturb the child, prosecutors said. Instead, authorities allege, he pulled the trigger of the handgun.
The gun was equipped with a conversion device that allowed it to fire multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger, prosecutors said. Three rounds were fired, and the child was struck in the back of the head. Investigators found bullet damage to the couch and the child’s car seat, according to accounts of the hearing. The girl was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where prosecutors said Monday that she remained intubated and in critical condition.
Police initially responded shortly after midnight Saturday to a report of a person shot at the apartment. Washington was arrested about 12:15 a.m., minutes after the shooting. Authorities said officers recovered the firearm connected to the case.
Prosecutors also alleged that Washington gave the handgun to an upstairs neighbor after the shooting and asked the neighbor to hide it without explaining what had happened. Investigators later recovered the weapon and two magazines from the neighbor’s apartment, according to prosecutors. Authorities have not announced charges against the neighbor.
Prosecutors said Washington initially told a 911 dispatcher that an unknown person had fired through a window. Responding officers, however, found evidence inside the apartment, including spent shell casings, according to prosecutors. Those allegations were presented as part of the state’s case for detaining Washington and have not been established at trial.
Authorities said Washington has previous felony convictions and was prohibited from possessing a firearm. A judge ordered him detained at the Cook County Jail while the criminal case proceeds. Chicago police Area One detectives have continued investigating the shooting.
The child remained in critical condition as of Monday afternoon. Washington is due back in court Friday as the case moves forward.
Author note: Last updated September 28, 2026.