An Ohio resident facing allegations of shooting a mother and her two daughters on Christmas Day is now asserting that he acted in self-defense.

James Brown, aged 58, has been charged with three counts of felony assault, as reported by the Cincinnati Police Department.

The incident unfolded in the early hours of December 25, near the crossroads of Central Avenue and Kindel Avenue in Cincinnati’s West End neighborhood.

Gunshots were heard shortly before 3 a.m., according to the police. Upon arrival, officers discovered a 36-year-old woman and her daughters, aged 10 and 15, suffering from gunshot wounds.

Local residents reported hearing disturbances that night, as reported by Cincinnati’s NBC affiliate WLWT and Fox affiliate WXIX from Newport, Kentucky, both covering the metro area.

Some said they heard arguing before the incident.

“You don”t want to hear that happened to, like, a mom and two kids,” a man told WLWT. “It’s kind of sad.”

Others recalled the din in the aftermath.

“She was laying on that horn maybe for help,” a woman told WXIX. “I didn’t know if someone was dead and fell on it. That’s what I thought but I guess she was laying on it for help, but by that time, the cops were here like that.”

About eight shots were fired during the incident, the woman said. Eventually, the neighbor saw the mother raise her knees.

“I was like, ‘Yes, yes, hold on sister, yes,’” she told the TV station.

The mother was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and her children were taken to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, police said. Their injuries were said to be non-life-threatening.

Authorities noted the presence of a silver Chevrolet Impala leaving the scene, a police spokesperson told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

While law enforcement initially said they could determine neither motive nor connection between Brown and the victims, court records obtained by WXIX and the Enquirer suggest a lengthy history.

As it turns out, Brown was previously accused of assault in four separate cases involving the same woman since 2022. In each instance, however, those charges were dismissed.

On the day after Christmas, Brown appeared in court with his defense attorney, the newspaper reported. During that proceeding, Brown’s attorney said a person inside the woman’s car shot at his client first and he responded in kind, according to a courtroom report.

Prosecutors took note of Brown’s familiarity with the legal system, saying he has a history of assault, domestic violence and aggravated menacing.

During the arraignment, Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Brad Greenberg set the defendant’s bond at $900,000.

Brown is being detained in the Hamilton County Justice Center.

A grand jury is now set to hear the case and decide whether to move forward with an indictment, prosecutors said.