A 44-year-old Texas man has been indicted for murder after shooting his girlfriend in the head during an incident in Beaumont. The victim, 25-year-old Tammy Dawson, died the following day from her injuries.
Brandon Chretien was charged earlier this month with aggravated assault with a weapon causing brain injury or paralysis. He now faces a murder indictment following the June 6 shooting at his residence on Heartfield Lane.
Officers responded around 2:40 a.m. to reports of a shooting and found Dawson in a closet with a gunshot wound to her head. She was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital in critical condition and later declared in a vegetative state before succumbing to her injuries on June 7.
Chretien called 911 and told dispatchers that he and Dawson had struggled over a gun. Police determined the wound was not self-inflicted. The handgun was recovered from a bedside table.
Chretien remains detained at the Jefferson County Correctional Facility on $1 million bond. Conditions include GPS monitoring, a firearms prohibition, and no contact with witnesses. The investigation continues.