An altercation over pilfered coins from a coin collection led a Missouri man to fatally shoot the mother of his child while she sat in a car with their infant, authorities report. The tragic incident unfolded as Alan Michael Mellow, 33, fired multiple gunshots at 30-year-old Hannah Lee Blizard, striking her in the head at close range.

According to a probable cause affidavit linked to his arrest, Mellow confessed to law enforcement that he shot Blizard “a couple of times” on a Saturday afternoon. The shooting occurred after a heated argument over the alleged theft of coins from his collection, during which Blizard attempted to depart their Barry County residence with their child.

The police statement notes that Mellow claimed Blizard struggled with severe alcoholism, which he was trying to address. He accused her of using the stolen coins to buy alcohol, sparking the conflict. Blizard reportedly called her mother and intended to leave with their baby, but Mellow refused to allow it, deciding instead to leave with the child himself.

Mellow recounted that he took the 3-month-old to his Nissan, securing the child in the backseat, as per the police report. Blizard allegedly rushed to the passenger side to stop him from driving away. In the vehicle, Mellow’s handgun was already present, and he admitted to shooting her “a couple of times” in the head, the affidavit states.

After the shooting, Mellow reportedly moved to the passenger side, opened the door with the intent to discard Blizard’s body and flee. However, he instead retrieved their child from the car and returned to his apartment, where the police later made contact with him.

A neighbor allegedly witnessed the shooting and called police, with officers arriving soon after to find Blizard “bloody” and “lifeless” outside of the car. The neighbor reported seeing Mellow shoot Blizard at least three times before going back into the apartment with their child, according to cops.

“My son will grow up without a dad,” officers heard Mellow saying inside the apartment after arriving on scene, according to the probable cause statement. A sergeant contacted Mellow by telephone and was able to convince him to surrender and turn the infant over to police, per the statement.

Mellow came outside and was taken into custody without incident. A search of his apartment uncovered the alleged murder weapon, described by cops as a Taurus PT809c semi-automatic handgun. The firearm contained a partially expended 13-round magazine containing Winchester hollow point ammunition and a spare magazine was found loaded with “full metal jacketed rounds,” according to police.

The couple’s child was transported to a local hospital for evaluation, where doctors discovered that they had a skull fracture. The cause has yet to be determined.

Mellow has been charged with first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, and one count of first-degree child endangerment. He was being held on Monday without bond with no court date set yet.