A 41-year-old man from North Carolina is facing charges after an altercation with his pregnant wife led to a tragic shooting incident. The man allegedly fired a gun at her feet during a dispute, and she subsequently “accidentally shot herself” while trying to secure the firearm, resulting in the loss of their unborn child.

Alfonzo Luis Marcano-Marcano was apprehended over the weekend and is facing charges for discharging a firearm within city limits, according to court documents.

The sequence of events unfolded early Sunday morning when officers from the Mint Hill Police Department were alerted by Novant Mint Hill Medical Center. They received a report about a pregnant woman admitted with a gunshot wound to her abdomen. Her husband, Marcano-Marcano, allegedly dropped her off at the hospital before leaving the scene in a red Nissan.

Due to the gravity of her injuries, the medical team transferred her to another hospital for advanced treatment. Sadly, the unborn child could not be saved and was declared deceased soon after.

Police investigators interviewed the wife at the hospital, uncovering that the couple had hosted a birthday celebration for Marcano-Marcano at their Charlotte home, located in the 10000 block of Stornoway Court, the previous evening. She reportedly told authorities that she “accidentally shot herself with a pistol” during the event.

Authorities detained Marcano-Marcano in the hospital lobby, where he waived his Miranda rights and provided further insight into the events, as detailed in the affidavit.

“He stated once everyone left, it was just him and [his wife] on the back porch,” the affidavit states. “He said there was an argument between them two and he retrieved the pistol and admitted to shooting the ground next to her feet. He said he then placed the pistol on the rail of the back porch, and [his wife] then grabbed the pistol and tried to put it in her pocket and pulled the trigger, shooting herself in the stomach.”

He also allegedly confirmed that he dropped his wife off at the hospital before returning home to retrieve the pistol, saying he “threw it into the woods at an unknown location.”

In a second interview, Marcano-Marcano’s wife allegedly confirmed that her husband shot at her feet.

“She said she went to grab the pistol because Luis had been drinking and did not want him to get in trouble for shooting more and when she grabbed it to put it in her pocket, she pulled the trigger, subsequently killing her month old unborn baby,” the affidavit states.

A judge called Marcano-Marcano “a danger to the public” during a Monday bond hearing and noted that discarding the weapon interfered with the investigation, according to a report from local CBS affiliate WBTV.

Authorities also identified him as a known member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and noted pending warrants in Venezuela, resulting in Marcano-Marcano being held on an ICE detainer.

As of Tuesday, prosecutors had not filed murder or manslaughter-related charges in connection with the death of the fetus.