A domestic dispute in Cartersville turned violent early Tuesday morning when a woman shot her boyfriend in the leg during an argument.
Bartow County deputies responded to a residence on River Birch Road around 2:06 a.m. after a 911 caller reported shooting her boyfriend as he beat her. Dispatchers noted the female caller sounded intoxicated and admitted she was under the influence of drugs.
The woman, 40-year-old Nicole Sophia Lightner, told deputies her boyfriend arrived at her home around midnight. The couple visited a few places, returned, and drank alcohol together while sitting in his vehicle in her driveway. He then confronted Lightner about alleged cheating, placed both hands on her throat, and raised his hand as if to strike her. Lightner said she experienced no loss of consciousness or breathing difficulty, and deputies observed no marks on her throat.
Lightner explained that both exited the vehicle and threw items at each other. He walked away with her vehicle keys toward the neighborhood entrance, then turned and ran toward her. Unsure if he carried weapons, Lightner shot him once in the leg. She ran inside her residence as he drove away in his vehicle.
Deputies later contacted the boyfriend, who had wrapped a tank top around his right leg. They confirmed a gunshot wound with entry and exit points and applied a tourniquet at 2:37 a.m.
The boyfriend provided a different account, stating that the pair had hung out in his vehicle when his phone rang with an incoming call from another woman. Lightner grew upset, hit him, and both exited the car. She grabbed his property and threw it onto the roadway, so he took her keys and walked off to retrieve his belongings. He then heard a “pop,” rolled to the ground, and drove away after Lightner entered her residence.
The boyfriend declined to prosecute and rode to the hospital by ambulance. Based on Lightner’s intoxication and the shooting, deputies arrested her for discharging a firearm while under the influence of drugs.