LAKE CITY, Fla. – A Lake City man is custody after investigators said tried to kill his wife Tuesday afternoon.
Steven Moot, 32, was charged with attempted first-degree murder after Columbia County detectives said he shot his wife in the face.
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According to an arrest affidavit obtained by News4Jax, deputies were called to a report of a woman shot at a home on Northwest Corwin Glen. The affidavit said a juvenile remained on the phone with a 911 operator while deputies were on the way. The operator was also able to speak with the gunshot victim, who was identified as Amanda Moot, 30.
The operator was told that Amanda Moot was shot in the face with a .380-caliber handgun.
When deputies arrived on scene, three children ran to the squad cars.
According to the affidavit, Amanda Moot was on the front porch with a male juvenile walking toward the deputies with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to under her right eye. She also told deputies her husband left the home in his Anderson Columbia company truck.
Deputies contacted Anderson Columbia Company and learned that the company truck Steven Moot was driving had a GPS tracking device. Authorities used that tracking system to locate the truck and Moot was arrested during a traffic stop on U.S. 41 near Northwest Fiddlers Lane.
Amanda Moot was transported to Shands of UF and the four juveniles were taken to the Columbia County Sheriff’s office to meet with a victim’s advocate.
During the course of their investigation, detectives learned the shooting was a result of an argument between the married couple. A spokesperson for the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office told News4Jax, Steven Moot was charged with attempted first-degree murder because during the course of the argument with his wife, he went to another location of the house where he retrieved handgun to shoot her.
As of Wednesday morning, Amanda Moot was listed in serious but stable condition. According to a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, the couple’s children -- all under age 10 -- are believed to be staying with relatives.
Authorities told News4Jax there was no history of deputies being called to the couple’s home prior to the shooting.