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Sleeping woman shot after Hollis gun fired

By Nathan Duke

A 58-year-old Hollis man was arrested after a gun he kept under his pillow discharged, hitting his sleeping girlfriend in the chest, the Queens district attorney said.

Larry Smith, of 91-35 193rd St. in Hollis, was arraigned Sept. 24 before Queens Criminal Court Judge Toko Serita on assault, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment charges and scheduled to return to court Oct. 16, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. If convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison, a DA spokeswoman said.

Smith's girlfriend, Felicia Crawford, 41, was asleep next to Smith when she heard a “pop” sound and felt a burning sensation in her left breast, according to the criminal complaint.

Smith, who was asleep and awakened by the gun blast, then asked his girlfriend if she had been shot, the DA said. The defendant allegedly admitted to police that he had gone to sleep with a loaded .25-caliber pistol under his pillow and that the gun had discharged, according to the complaint.

Smith, who had been convicted in 1990 of the attempted sale of a controlled substance charge, also allegedly admitted he had been scared at the time of the incident, so he had wrapped the pistol in a T-shirt and hidden it under his couch, the DA said. Police recovered the gun at the time of the arrest, the DA said.

Crawford was taken to a nearby hospital where she was treated for a bullet wound to the breast, the DA said.

Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.