Milton Farris, the 37-year-old man charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend Monday night, told local television reporters the shooting of 30-year-old Malinda Robertson was an “accident.”

Monday night, Mobile police responded to a report of a shooting at Townhouse Square Apartments on Wagner Street just before 8:30 p.m. Once there, they found 30-year-old Malinda Robertson in front of her apartment, dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

Farris was still at the scene when multiple police units arrived, but managed to elude capture, but was taken into custody Tuesday morning.

During a Tuesday night “perp walk” in front of local TV cameras, Farris claimed the shooting of Robertson was unintentional, the result of his intoxication.

“I wasn’t on drugs or anything,” Farris said, WKRG reported. “I was on the influence of alcohol. The gun accidentally went off. I promise it did. It was no intentions of me harming her or trying to harm her. I wish I could take it back, man.”

Police again confirmed that all four of Robertson’s children, ranging in age from 2 to 12, were in the home at the time of the shooting. Mobile police Public Information Officer Katrina Frazier called the homicide a “tragic incident” born of a domestic dispute between Farris and Robertson.

“Farris chose to resolve that dispute in the most heinous way ever,” Frazier said, according to the report. “We always talk about conflict resolution and being able to talk your problems out. These kids will go on and live their life without their mother, all because he chose not to have a conversation with his girlfriend.”

Farris is charged with murder, kidnapping, domestic violence, unlawful imprisonment and shooting into an occupied building. He made his initial court appearance Wednesday, but because he was already on probation for pleading guilty in March to stealing a firearm from a local pawn shop, he will be ineligible to post bond and will remain imprisoned until trial.