An American man has reportedly shot his wife in the chest while "reaching for something on the nightstand" during sex.

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The incident, which happened in the Ohio town of Springfield, has left the woman in a critical condition.

According to news website wlwt.com, Timothy Haven's pistol went off during sex, shooting estranged wife Carolyn Havens, 42, in the upper chest.

Mrs Havens, 42, is being treated at nearby Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, the website reports.

Court documents show Mr Havens, 38, had previously served 60 days in jail for assaulting his wife. He was ordered to undergo anger management classes.

Despite the incident allegedly happening during sex, Mr Havens was arrested for violating a civil protection order that his wife had taken out against him earlier in the year.

Bond was set at $75,000 after prosecutors asked for a high bond, "due to alleged prohibited contact between the parties (and) the suspicious nature of the circumstances surrounding (her injury)."

The shooting comes days after NFL star player Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh in a Manhattan nightclub.

The New York Giants receiver has been suspended by the team pending an investigation into why he had a gun with him in a nightclub.

This story first appeared in the New Zealand Herald