INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man is accused of shooting his pregnant girlfriend in the head while multiple young children were in the home.

Stephen Wieland, 24, is charged with attempted murder, a Level 1 felony, along with multiple felony counts of battery.

According to previous reports, officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were called to the 1600 block of Harlan Street on Indy’s near southeast side early Sunday.

Court documents detail that Wieland let officers into the duplex where he escorted them to an upstairs bedroom. There Wieland’s girlfriend was found laying on the bedroom floor with a gunshot wound to the head.

She was transported to a hospital in critical condition but survived her injuries. Doctors later told police the bullet entered the woman’s forehead, traveled around her skull, and exited her left ear — removing the ear completely.

The woman was also found to be 11 weeks pregnant.

According to court documents, three young children lived in the duplex with the couple and were present when police arrived to find the bloody victim. A one-year-old baby reportedly had blood on her hand and face. Wieland also was covered in blood, police reported.

Wieland reportedly denied being home at the time of the shooting, telling police he’d arrived home to find the door open and went upstairs to find his girlfriend covered in blood and not talking. He told police she’d reportedly been home alone with just the kids while he was gone.

Documents reveal that police ended up speaking to several witnesses, however, who alleged to have heard the couple arguing prior to hearing a gunshot. Some of the neighbors reported hearing a man say, “the cops are going to come, and then I’ll go to jail” and “you put hands on me first” sometime after the gunshot.

One witness also described seeing a man who matched Wieland’s description going into the duplex before the shooting and come back out — looking “pissed off” — afterward.

The witness described this individual as a “tall white skinny male, who looked strung out, with tattoos on his neck.”

According to court documents, while police were in the duplex Wieland asked to retrieve a diaper for the baby. Police stated they would get the diaper themselves so he wasn’t digging around in a bag. Officers opened the diaper bag to find an ammunition magazine with three live 10mm rounds.

A later search of the bag also revealed a 1911 10mm firearm. Multiple 10mm shell casings were reportedly found in the duplex along with a bullet fragment with blood and a chunk of dried hair on it.

Wieland allegedly admitted to owning the 1911 handgun but claimed to not have touched the firearm in weeks.

Police ended up arresting Wieland after learning he had an active warrant for possession out of Johnson County. A search of his person uncovered more live 10mm rounds along with the keys to his girlfriend’s Nissan.

Wieland claimed to have found both the bullets and the keys laying on the floor when he returned home. He denied having any knowledge about the firearm and magazine being in the diaper bag.

This isn’t the first time police have been called to an incident involving Wieland and his girlfriend. He is accused of battering her in front of a child in March 2022. In August 2022, he is accused of pointing a firearm at her ex-boyfriend and threatening him.

Detectives reportedly spoke with the victim’s mother who told officers that her daughter’s relationship with Wieland was “toxic.”

Wieland is accused of threatening his girlfriend previously. In March 2022, police said Wieland reportedly battered his girlfriend in front of a child. Police were called again to the couple’s home in August 2022 where Wieland was accused of pointing a firearm and threatening to kill his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend.

The court documents reveal that police also spoke to the three young children who were home at the time of the shooting. The children told police about their mom having blood everywhere and getting blood “on sissy’s head.” They also reportedly told police that Wieland and their mom were fighting. And that Wieland was heard “punching a wall” before they saw their mother bloodied.

One of the children was drawing a picture while speaking to detectives. Police said the picture depicted Wieland, who was sad and bloody, along with a house and more sad and crying figures.