A Springfield man allegedly told police he shot his girlfriend by accident early Tuesday morning.

Prosecutors say it was murder.

Chase Collins, 21, was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder in connection with the death of 20-year-old Cheyenne L. Dancause.

According to a probable cause statement, Collins called 911 at about 1 a.m. and told dispatchers he "accidentally shot" Dancause in their home in the 900 block of West Locust Street.

Officers arrived on scene and found Dancause dead in an upstairs bedroom, according to the statement.

The statement says two infant children were also in the bedroom, but they were not harmed. One of the children was Dancause's daughter, and Dancause was watching the other child for a friend.

After officers responded to the scene, Collins was transported to police headquarters, where he allegedly told detectives he and Dancause got into a fight earlier that night when they were trying to put the babies to sleep.

The statement says Collins told police the argument turned physical. Collins allegedly said he and Dancause were flailing their arms and the next thing he knew his gun went off.

Collins later told police he remembered the gun being in his hand but they both had hold of it. Collins also admitted to being "very angry" during the incident, according to the statement.

Collins allegedly said he was not in fear of his life during the fight.

Collins is being held in the Greene County Jail on $250,000 bond, and he does not have an attorney listed for this case.

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