Grove City dad faces charges for luring, shooting alleged abuser

A Grove City dad is facing charges after he allegedly used TikTok to lure the alleged abuser of his 11-year-old daughter to his house last month and then shot him twice, according to reports.

Malik Chandler, 31, could face up to 18 years in prison in the July 16 shooting of 20-year-old Diego Montoya Gonzalez.

According to reports, Chandler told authorities he planned to “beat up” Montoya Gonzalez and alert authorities to his location. However, he opened fire, telling officials he thought he saw Montoya Gonzalez going for a gun.

Gonzalez is facing multiple charges, including rape, pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor and obstructing official business and has been placed on electronic monitoring pending trial. According to reports, authorities learned of the case on July 15 after the girl’s mother found a video on her daughter’s phone that seemed to indicate sexual conduct and then alerted police.

Nya Hairston, communications director for the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, told the New York Post that Chandler is a felon who is not permitted to have a gun. Authorities charged him with felony assault and using a weapon “under disability” following the shooting.

The “under disability” enhancement was added as Chandler was banned from ever carrying a firearm in Ohio following a conviction for felony burglary when he was a minor in 2010. It could add extra prison time, and without it, Chandler still faced a dozen years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000 if convicted.

WSYX-TV/ABC 6 reported that Chandler began messaging Gonzalez on TikTok while posing as his 11-year-old daughter after learning of the alleged abuse, luring him to the Parlin Drive house. Gonzalez, who pleaded not guilty to his charges, was shot twice and was treated and released at a local hospital.

Chandler has been released on a $10,000 recognizance bond. As a stipulation, he must stay away from Montoya Gonzalez and his family. Prosecutors asked for electronic monitoring of Chandler.

“There was an incident that occurred Monday where the defendant followed the victim’s family during custody arraignments on Monday and threatened to shoot the victim’s brother, like he shot the victim,” Megan Farley, with the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, said, according to WSYX-TV/ABC 6. Chandler denied that confrontation during the hearing.