Josh Cross

USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

A Bethpage man has been arrested after police say he shot and killed his wife while she was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher Sunday.

James Travis Johns, 49, is charged with first-degree murder after police say he shot 52-year-old Ivory Johns once in the chest with a shotgun inside their home in the 1300 block of Duffer Hollow Road in Bethpage.

“She called 911 about 12:31 a.m. and said that they had been involved in a domestic (issue) and needed an ambulance,” Sumner County Sheriff Sonny Weatherford said Monday. “We sent an officer and when they got out there she was deceased.”

During the 911 call, Ivory Johns stated that her husband had hurt her arm and that she needed an ambulance, according to an arrest affidavit signed by Det. Michael Mclerran.

“The dispatcher asked about guns and the victims stated, ‘yes’ [and] that Travis was not in his right mind right now,” according to the affidavit. “You could hear a male in the background yelling. The victim was asked if the defendant had any weapons on him and the victim said, ‘yes he is loading the gun.’ She started yelling, ‘No Travis no. God no,’ and then the line went dead.”

What led to the dispute between the couple was not immediately known, said Weatherford. The arrest affidavit indicates deputies had responded to domestic calls at the residence several times.

Johns was still being held in the Sumner County Jail without bond Monday. He is scheduled to appear in Sumner County General Sessions Court on May 11.

Reach Josh Cross at jcross@mtcngroup.com or at 615-575-7115. Follow him on Twitter @joshcross.