A Fort Wayne woman was charged Tuesday, accused of shooting her husband during a domestic dispute late Monday, authorities said.

Jessica Hipps is charged with aggravated battery, battery and criminal recklessness.

At 10:35 p.m. Monday, officers were called to a home at 9662 St. Joe Center Road. Officers found Steven Hipps suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken in serious condition to a hospital, where he was downgraded to critical. His condition was later upgraded to stable.

Investigators arrested Hipps' wife, Jessica, 35.

According to court documents, Steven Hipps told investigators his wife shot him after a dispute that started with a text message.

He told detectives he was in the bedroom watching TV when his wife texted him from the living room. When he did not respond, he said she then shut off the power to the bedroom. He then told police he went outside to smoke a cigarette.

Upon returning, Steven Hipps told investigators he removed his handgun from his waistband and placed it on the center armrest of the sofa. He alleges that's when his wife picked up the gun and chambered a round, ejecting a live round onto the ground, and pointed the weapon at him.

“At this point he told her not to point it at him (because) it was loaded,” court documents said. “He started to get up and heard the gunshot.”

Steven Hipps told police that after he realized he'd been shot, his wife picked up her cellphone and began recording, demanding he say the shooting was not her fault. He also claims Jessica did not call 911 but gave him his phone so he could call.

Jessica Hipps disputes her husband's version of events, stating that she shot him in self-defense. However, police said she admitted to shutting off the power to the bedroom. She also acknowledged recording her husband and asking him to say the shooting wasn't her fault, court records said.

She told investigators she and her husband had been arguing about cellphones when he reached for the gun on the sofa between them.

She said she grabbed for the gun because she did not know what he was going to do.

“She said they did not struggle over the gun and she was not sure what happened other than the gun discharged,” court documents said.

“Jessica was asked about her chambering a round which she denied even after being told Steven said she did and crime scene found a live round on the floor.”

It was at least the third shooting in Fort Wayne on Memorial Day, following a pair of unrelated shootings that left one man in critical condition and another in serious condition.

Neither man has been identified, and police said those shootings remain under investigation.

dgong@jg.net