The Las Vegas man accused of shooting his six-year-old neighbor, severing her spine and leaving her in a wheelchair, has been sentenced to prison.
Arreion Willoughby, 31, will serve between four and 11 years in prison with credit for the 127 days he already served following Monday’s sentencing.
The sentence was the maximum in the man’s guilty plea to two felony counts of intentional or wanton disregard for the safety of persons resulting in substantial bodily harm and ownership of a weapon by a prohibited person.
The charges arose from an incident last November in which Willoughy fired a gun through the wall of his apartment, paralyzing Draya Ransey, then five years old.
The girl’s parents, Porschia Ransey and Gregory Harris, gave victim impact statements virtually before Willoughby’s sentencing.
As she thought about her daughter in a wheelchair, Harris fought back tears.
“I punished myself because my baby shouldn’t be lying in that bed, the fact that he can’t dance with me like he used to, the fact that he can’t run up to me and hug me when I come home.” work,’ she said.
Draya Ransey, 6, was left paralyzed after a bullet fired through a wall of her family’s apartment severed her spinal cord.
The girl’s parents, Porschia Ransey and Gregory Harris, made shocking statements ahead of the sentencing of their daughter’s shooter on Monday.
Arreion Willoughby, 31, will serve between four and 11 years in prison with credit for the 127 days already served after pleading guilty to the shooting of the bullet that hit the little girl.
Although she is recovering in a facility, doctors have told the family that Draya may never walk again.
After the violence, the family is dealing with lasting trauma, including Draya and her four siblings’ fear of going to the bathroom.
On November 20 last year, the then five-year-old girl was found lying in a pool of blood on the bathroom floor of her family’s apartment.
When officers arrived, they encountered Ransey, who was screaming for help, according to an arrest report.
He initially suspected the girl had fallen off the toilet and hit her head, but later learned that a bullet had entered the girl’s back and severed her spinal cord before lodging in the side of her neck.
Police discovered a bullet hole in the bathroom wall and entered the neighboring apartment, but no one was home. They obtained a search warrant and detained Willoughby.
Through the warrant, investigators obtained surveillance footage that showed Willoughby standing in front of a bed, appearing to hold and point at something.
A loud bang sounded and Willoughby flinched before walking away from the area where the bullet hole was later found.
At that time four children were with him in the apartment. One of them told police she was awakened by a loud pop, but she assumed it was a frozen burrito in the microwave.
Then he heard someone knocking on the door. When Willoughby responded, a teenager began yelling that the neighbor needed help.
In November 2023, Draya was found lying in a pool of blood and was originally suspected to have fallen off the toilet and hit her head.
The girl’s parents, Porschia Ransey and Gregory Harris, made shocking statements before Monday’s sentencing.
Police discovered a bullet hole in the bathroom wall and learned that Willoughby had fired shots from the bedroom of the apartment next door.
Police say Willoughby went next door and saw Draya lying in her own blood.
“Nothing happened, I don’t even have a firearm,” the man told officers. He insisted that he did not shoot the girl.
Investigators discovered that the apartment Willoughby was staying in was not his own. They interviewed the woman whose name was on her property and she told them that Willoughby had been living with her for the past few months.
She insisted there were no weapons in the house and, since Willoughby was a convicted felon, she didn’t have any.
However, she admitted that her brother had a firearm when he lived with her, but took it with him when he moved out.
The brother told police he had bought a gun for his sister as a surprise Christmas gift and had hidden it in a box in the bedroom closet.
While his sister had no knowledge that the gun was in the apartment, the man said Willoughby did know, as it was with him when he bought it.
Willoughby was arrested and originally charged with seven counts of child neglect and child abuse resulting in substantial bodily harm.
The 31-year-old pleaded guilty in February to the charges for which he was ultimately sentenced.
During Monday’s hearing, Willoughby apologized and claimed the gun had gone off while he was doing laundry.
“I never intended for that to happen,” he said. “I didn’t know the firearm was loaded.”
He asked the family to give it to him.
However, Draya’s mother expressed that she was disappointed by the apology.
“Hearing the doctor say your baby may never walk again when he used to run and dance,” Ransey said, sobbing. “The fact that she’s on a ventilator.”
He explained that the family had to move to Utah while Draya received treatment.
“It’s very traumatizing,” he said. “My baby didn’t deserve this.”
The 31-year-old man is a convicted felon who is not allowed to own or possess a firearm.
Willoughby apologized to the family in court, but Draya’s mother said the entire family was traumatized by the incident.
Draya and her three siblings are still afraid to use the bathroom, and the family had to move to Utah while Draya was hospitalized.
Willoughby’s defense attorney, Kendall Stone, unsuccessfully asked District Judge Jennifer Schwartz to sentence his client to probation.
“I had no idea there was anyone on the other side of the wall,” Stone insisted. “It really was a tragic mistake.”
However, Clark County Deputy Prosecutor Dena Rinetti said Willoughby had acted recklessly.
“An apartment full of children and he points that firearm at an apartment where he knows another family lives,” Rinetti said.
He added that Willoughby was seen on video leaving the apartment with a bag after the shooting. Police never recovered the gun.
Stone admitted that Willoughby was a previously convicted felon who had served probation for previous crimes.
Court records show the Las Vegas man pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in 2015.
Four years later, he pleaded guilty to child abuse, neglect or endangerment and was released on probation.
In 2022, he was placed on probation again after pleading guilty to attempted ownership or possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
“I have no doubt that this was not an intentional act,” Schwartz said, addressing Willoughby.
‘I don’t believe you sought to do this or cause any kind of harm. But that doesn’t mean you get parole.
Draya’s prognosis is uncertain. In December, the little girl celebrated her sixth birthday from a hospital bed.
“This is just an absolutely senseless act,” Rinetti said.
He highlighted the fact that Willoughby was not allowed to possess a gun as a convicted felon.
“An individual who should never have had that gun, who should never have loaded that firearm and who should never have pointed that gun at that wall, and who should never have fired that gun.”
Willoughby may be ordered to pay restitution to the family when the case is reviewed in May.