Man shoots woman with crossbow while sleeping on couch

A 68-year-old man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting his wife with a crossbow while she was sleeping on a sofa in their home.

The incident occurred at approximately 1:13 a.m. on Wednesday morning as authorities in Ottumwa, Iowa, responded to a report that a woman had been shot at a residence in the city, which is about 90 miles southeast of the state capital of Des. Moines is located. .

The victim, later identified as 68-year-old Lillian Dennison, was reportedly sitting on the couch when her husband approached her with a crossbow and shot her while she was sleeping, according to a press release published by the Ottumwa Police Department.

Authorities say Dennison was taken to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries sustained in the attack. She was subsequently released and is expected to survive.

Her husband managed to flee the crime scene after allegedly shooting her, but was found about nine hours later, according to police.

“Later that morning at approximately 10 a.m., officers from the Ottumwa Police Department and the Wapello County Sheriff’s Department arrested 68-year-old George Edward Dennison, near the Evergreen and Mable wooded area in Ottumwa,” police said in a statement. .

George Dennison was arrested and taken into custody and charged with attempted murder and domestic violence. The authorities have not released any information about possible motives in this case.

He is now being held on these charges at the Wapello County Jail on $50,000 cash only bail, but it is unclear when he will appear in court.