Clark Samuel MorrisA domestic argument and struggle for a large-caliber handgun that discharged left a man and woman wounded and the man behind bars.
Clark Samuel Morris, 48, of Dunlap, was charged last Friday with aggravated assault for the shot fired that struck his girlfriend in the arm in an incident on Standifer Circle, Dunlap police Chief Clint Huth said Thursday.
"Basically, it started out as a domestic argument over some relationship problems," Huth said. "We do believe drugs were involved in the situation and contributed to the incident."
The argument escalated with both people threatening to harm themselves with a pistol when a struggle for the gun ensued. The gun discharged with the bullet striking the woman in the arm. The woman's name, as the victim in the incident, is not being released, and she has not been charged with an offense, Chief Huth said. She was treated at Erlanger Sequatchie Valley hospital in Dunlap and released, he said.
Morris received some superficial injuries, the chief said.
"It could have been a lot worse," he said.
The weapon was a .45-caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun, according to a police report on the incident.
The chief said police have answered four calls at Morris' home since Nov. 16, but none of those encounters with police resulted in charges, and Morris has no other criminal history with Dunlap authorities. The woman in the incident, likewise, has no prior criminal record with Dunlap authorities, he said.
Morris, meanwhile, is free on $2,500 bond and faces a date in Sequatchie County General Sessions Court on Feb. 16, according to court officials.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.
Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton or at www.facebook.com/benbenton1.