Pinellas deputies charged Christopher "Dodge" Smith with attempted first-degree murder after a Safety Harbor shooting.

Attempted first-degree murder is the charge because Antolini is alive. It is not a homicide count, and it is not a conviction. WFLA reported that if she dies, the state said the charge may be upgraded, and that a judge denied bond and ordered him not to contact the child.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said in release 26-087 that deputies arrested Christopher "Dodge" Smith, 40, of Safety Harbor, on attempted first-degree murder and child abuse after a shooting on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. The release lists his address as 1408 Oak Haven Drive. Deputies were sent at about 9 p.m. to Harbor Bar at 840 Main Street. The shooting was at the southwest corner of 9th Avenue South and Main Street, just west of the bar, the sheriff's office said. He was taken to the Pinellas County Jail. WFLA reported that at his first appearance a judge denied bond on the attempted-murder charge and ordered him not to contact his child. WTSP reported he is held without bond. The child is not named here.

According to detectives, Smith entered Harbor Bar at about 8:45 p.m. and left his 5-year-old daughter and their dog in the parking lot, the sheriff's office said. He left the bar with his girlfriend, Jessica Antolini, 30, and they were seen arguing outside. During that argument, detectives say, he shot her, then fled in his vehicle with the child and the dog and ran her over as he drove away. WFLA reported the Safety Harbor American Legion said the two had been at the Legion until 7:45 p.m. Witnesses called 911 and gave a description of the vehicle, the sheriff's office said. Deputies stopped the vehicle a short time later and arrested him. The child and the dog were found safe inside and were reunited with family. Antolini was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and remains in critical condition, the sheriff's office said.

WFLA reported the sheriff's office released body-camera video of the arrest. The station reported that, as of Wednesday afternoon, Antolini was still in critical condition, and that the state said the charge may be upgraded to murder if she dies. FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported the sheriff's account on Wednesday, including the attempted-murder and child-abuse charges. Fox News reported Thursday that Smith is facing attempted first-degree murder and that Antolini was fighting for her life in the hospital. An upgrade is a possibility the state described to WFLA. It is not a charge that has been filed.

Attempted first-degree murder and child abuse are the counts the sheriff's office listed. WFLA's report that the state may upgrade the lead count if Antolini dies is a statement about what could be filed later. It is not a murder charge now, and neither count is a conviction. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.