Prosecutors say the child’s condition remains uncertain more than a year after the shooting that led to his mother’s guilty plea.
DEER PARK, Ohio — A 12-year-old boy survived a gunshot wound to the head, but prosecutors say his life has been permanently changed by injuries at the center of an attempted murder case against his mother.
The child’s medical outlook became a central part of a June 9 court hearing in which Briasha Stroud pleaded guilty to attempted murder. Prosecutors told a Hamilton County judge that the boy’s condition has continued to fluctuate since the January 2025 shooting and that the damage is so severe he is not expected to live what they described as a normal life. Because the victim is a minor, authorities have not released his name or a detailed medical diagnosis. The limited information presented in court nevertheless made clear that his recovery remains uncertain and that the consequences extend far beyond the criminal case.
The boy was an Amity Elementary School student when police and paramedics responded to a home on Glenway Avenue in Deer Park on Jan. 26, 2025. The community, northeast of Cincinnati, learned of the shooting through emergency activity and later court filings. When Stroud was indicted, the Deer Park School District sent a message to families confirming that the injured child attended Amity Elementary. The district offered access to counselors and mental health professionals for students and staff while protecting the boy’s identity and private medical information.
More than 16 months later, the courtroom account has supplied a clearer picture of the physical harm but not of the child’s daily life. Prosecutors have not publicly discussed where he is receiving care, what treatment he requires or whether he can communicate with relatives. Those details may be protected by medical privacy and juvenile confidentiality. What officials have said is that he survived a close-range shooting and continues to face injuries described as life-changing. The absence of more information leaves the public with an incomplete but grave understanding of his condition.
Stroud, now 30, admitted that she attempted to kill her son while the two were in a vehicle parked inside a garage. Police said she shot the child in the back of the head. Authorities also found Stroud with a gunshot wound to her chest, and a 911 caller reported signs that she may have taken drugs. Both mother and son were initially transported to a hospital in critical condition. Stroud survived, was later placed in the Hamilton County Justice Center and remained in custody while the criminal case proceeded.
The guilty plea changed the legal posture of the case but did not lessen its uncertainty for the child. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Melba Marsh found Stroud guilty of attempted murder and scheduled sentencing for July 23. WLWT reported that the judge said the sentence would be between 11 years and 16½ years in prison. The precise judgment will be imposed at the sentencing hearing. Stroud’s time already spent in custody and any other conditions of the sentence are expected to be addressed in the court’s final order.
Prosecutors also placed an unusual future possibility on the record. They said that if the boy later dies as a result of the injuries inflicted during the shooting, authorities could seek a murder charge against Stroud. That warning does not mean such a case will be filed, and prosecutors said they hoped it would never become necessary. It reflects their position that the child’s present survival does not necessarily end the question of criminal responsibility if the medical outcome changes.
The emergency response began shortly before 3 p.m. on a Sunday. A man who identified Stroud as his girlfriend called 911 and requested immediate medical assistance. He said he had been inside the home before entering the garage, where he saw Stroud unconscious in the driver’s seat of a car and the boy injured in the passenger seat. He told the dispatcher that he believed Stroud had shot her son and that she also appeared to be overdosing. The caller said he had not heard the gunfire from inside the house.
During the call, the man reported that the boy was breathing and showed some movement. A dispatcher gave instructions to apply pressure to the wound with a cloth until first responders arrived. The man also said Stroud was unconscious and foaming at the mouth, though he did not know what substance she may have taken. The recording captured the immediate effort to keep the child alive and gave police an account of how Stroud and the boy were positioned when they were found.
Deer Park Police Chief David Battin said both were in critical condition when they were taken for treatment. In the days that followed, officials released little about the child beyond the seriousness of his wounds. That caution continued after a grand jury indicted Stroud on one count of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault. Because the case involved a child and a parent, much of the public record focused on the charges and court dates rather than the victim’s personal circumstances.
The school district’s response offered one of the few glimpses of the wider effect. A serious injury to an elementary school student can be felt among classmates, teachers and families even when officials disclose few details. The district’s decision to make counselors available acknowledged that impact without assigning blame or revealing information about the boy. No additional public statements from the school system describing his condition or education have been located.
Questions about why the shooting happened remain unanswered. Authorities have not publicly announced a motive, nor have they described a note, prior threat, family dispute or other event that they believe led to the violence. Reports say Stroud and her son were seated in the car in the garage, but they do not establish how long they were there or what was said before the shooting. The guilty plea confirms Stroud’s legal admission to attempted murder, not a public explanation of her reasons.
The criminal proceedings also included questions about Stroud’s mental condition. Her defense sought a finding tied to insanity, according to WLWT, but that effort was unsuccessful. A judge also kept her $500,000 bond in place during the case, and reports indicated that competency had been reviewed. Those legal terms address different issues: competency concerns whether a defendant can understand and participate in a case, while an insanity defense concerns criminal responsibility at the time of an offense. Public reports have not disclosed the contents of any mental health evaluation.
Stroud’s plea spared the child and other witnesses from the possibility of testimony at a public trial. It also meant prosecutors were not required to present the full body of evidence, including any medical records, forensic findings or interviews gathered during the investigation. As a result, the facts stated during the plea hearing and in earlier reports form only part of the case history. Records not discussed in open court may contain more detail, but they should not be assumed to answer the remaining questions unless released.
At sentencing, the harm suffered by the boy is expected to weigh heavily. Courts may consider the seriousness of an offense, the victim’s injuries, the defendant’s history and information supplied by prosecutors, defense lawyers and a presentence investigation. It was not publicly known whether a relative would deliver a victim-impact statement or whether Stroud would make a statement. The boy’s medical privacy means his experiences may be described through family members or records rather than through a personal appearance.
The case has reached a point at which the court can punish Stroud, but the legal milestone does not provide closure for the injured child. His future medical needs, ability to return to school and long-term level of independence have not been publicly explained. Those unknowns are now part of the case’s continuing significance. Stroud is due to be sentenced July 23, while prosecutors and the boy’s family continue to confront an outcome that no prison term can reverse.
Author note: Last updated July 13, 2026.