SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) - Spotsylvania deputies say Pauline Finney, 89, has been deaf and mute since the age of 12. Now her husband of 65 years has been locked up for allegedly shooting her.
"Heard the sirens and all the officers. It was a melee," said Cloverhill Court neighbor Troy Cornett. Cornett said his neighborhood's sense of peace had been pierced by the crack of two gun shots that left an elderly woman - with no way to cry for help - trying to make as much noise as she could.
"Been deaf since she was 12," said Cornett.
The blood smears on the front door frame are the only evidence remaining of a mid-afternoon shooting.
"She saved her life: she grabbed her and took her to the mailbox,” Cornett said about a neighbor who jumped in to help Finney. “He [Charles Finney] was on the porch, staring with the gun."
Deputies arrested Charles Finney, and charged him with malicious wounding and a felony firearms charge.
"Pauline Finney had been shot in the upper body," said Sgt. Robin Kocher.
Rushed to Mary Washington Hospital, Finney is said to be in good condition. But where will she go after she recovers is something that concerns her neighbors.
Both neighbors and deputies say the only family they're aware of is Charles and he now has a new residence at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
"You never know what you have next door, man,” said Cornett. “It can happen anywhere."
Charles Finney, also 89 years-old has no bond. Investigators say they recovered a hand gun and two rounds from the crime scene.
