FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – A man faces felony charges in connection to the shooting of his wife, who was pregnant with their third child and ended up in the hospital in life-threatening condition Monday.

Fort Wayne Police arrested 25-year-old Terry Lee Sowles Jr. following the shooting at a home in a northeast side neighborhood, FWPD said in an update Tuesday.

Police responded just after 12:30 p.m. Monday to a home in the 4000 block of Nadina Cove off Maysville Road, where dispatch confirmed there was a shooting investigation.

Crime scene tape surrounded a house, and a WANE 15 crew at the scene saw two police cars and an ambulance there.

Sgt. Jeremy Webb said a woman had been shot and initially taken to the hospital in critical condition. A short time later, her condition was downgraded to life-threatening.

Terry Lee Sowles (Allen County Sheriff's Department)
Terry Lee Sowles Jr. (Allen County Sheriff’s Department)
FWPD and TRAA at the scene of a shooting at a home on Nadina Cove, 4/15/24.
FWPD and TRAA at the scene of a shooting at a home on Nadina Cove, 4/15/24.

Webb said they interviewed the man involved, and he was detained before eventually being booked into the Allen County Jail.

Sowles faces the following charges:

  • Domestic battery in the presence of a child, Level 6 felony
  • Domestic battery causing bodily injury to a pregnant woman, Level 5 felony
  • Criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, Level 6 felony
  • Aggravated battery, Level 3 felony
  • Domestic battery causing serious bodily injury, Level 5 felony
  • Domestic battery with a deadly weapon, Level 5 felony

According to Allen Superior Court documents, Sowles was the one who made the 911 call, telling dispatchers he’d dropped his gun and accidentally shot his wife in the back.

But their 4-year-old daughter was home when it happened and told police, “Daddy hurt her and I hid in my room,” according to court documents.

Sowles said in court documents he had been arguing with the victim, who suspected he was cheating on her. Police noted in court documents Sowles did also know the victim was pregnant.

Sowles told investigators he had picked up a gun that he supposedly intended to put in a safe, but as the conversation escalated and the woman began to walk out the door, he got mad and threw the gun behind him, causing it to fire off a round through the door.

According to court documents, Sowles said he didn’t know how the gun went off because he didn’t have a live round in the chamber, to which police responded there’s no way it could’ve fired without the live round.

Police also showed Sowles a photo of the glass that the bullet went through. According to court documents, “it was a straight line trajectory and was not in an upward direction if the gun had hit the ground and fired at that time.”

Sowles wasn’t able to clarify if the gun went off before he claimed it hit the ground or not, police noted in court documents.

He’s being held in the Allen County Jail without bond.

A GoFundMe* was started in support of the victim and her children. That fundraiser can be found here.

*WANE.com does not assure that the monies or donations deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a donation, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.