DAD ALLEGEDLY SHOT, RAN OVER GIRLFRIEND WITH CHILD IN CAR

A Florida dad now faces a first-degree murder charge after allegedly shooting his girlfriend and running her over with his 5-year-old daughter in the car. Jessica Antolini, 30, died from her injuries after the Safety Harbor shooting, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said.

Christopher “Dodge” Smith, 40, was arrested on October 13, 2026, in Safety Harbor, Florida, the New York Post reported. He was first charged with first-degree attempted murder and child abuse.

Smith went into Harbor Bar and left his daughter and a dog in the parking lot, the Tampa Bay Times reported. He later left with Antolini, and the two were seen arguing outside.

Witnesses told deputies that Smith shot Antolini during the argument, at a corner just west of the bar. Deputies said he then ran over her with his vehicle as he fled, with his daughter and the dog inside.

Antolini was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and was initially in “critical condition,” the sheriff’s office said.

Multiple witnesses called 911 and described Smith’s vehicle, which helped deputies find it. They took him into custody a short time later. The child and the dog were found safe and reunited with family members.

The sheriff’s office described the incident as domestic-related.

The bar pushed back on the reported location. Harbor Bar said in a Facebook post that Smith was not served there and that the incident “did not happen at Harbor Bar, in the street, or on the sidewalk out front.”

A public defender filed a not-guilty plea for Smith, then asked to withdraw because of a conflict, the Tampa Bay Times reported. A judge granted the request and appointed regional conflict counsel.

Law&Crime reported that a judge ordered Smith to have no contact with his daughter.

Antolini died at 9:14 p.m. on October 15, 2026, and authorities upgraded the attempted-murder charge to first-degree murder, FOX 13 News reported. The child-abuse charge remains, and Smith is held without bond in the Pinellas County Jail.