When Red Bay Police officers responded to a domestic incident April 12, they encountered a situation that had escalated to alleged attempted murder.

Officers responded to an apartment in Red Bay, and investigation revealed that Douglas Toary Meier, 46, had allegedly put a gun –­ which he retrieved out of his wife’s purse – to her head and pulled the trigger.

According to the RBPD report, it was between 8-8:30 p.m. when an argument between the two next led to Meier pulling the gun – which he had given to his wife to keep for her protection.

Fortunately for her, as RBPD Chief Janna Jackson expressed, without a round in the chamber, the gun failed to discharge.

Meier then allegedly attempted to choke his wife. She was finally able to call for help, and when their teenage son entered the room, Meier was distracted, and his wife was able to escape and call police.

Meier left the premises but ended up returning to the apartment while officers were making arrangements to transfer the victim to a safe place. Officers returned to the apartment to take him into custody, and they recovered the gun in question from his vehicle at that time.

Meier was held in Red Bay Jail while officers obtained warrants. He was charged with attempt to commit murder and domestic violence–strangulation.

He is being held in the Franklin County Jail.