Wife shoots man with knife running toward husband in Madera parking lot, police say

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Madera Police investigators say surveillance video taken outside the Walmart on Cleveland Avenue is helping them make sense of the moments that led to a woman firing a gun for protection.

"In this case, the surveillance video really helps tell the story," says Madera Police Commander Gino Chiaramonte.

It happened in a matter of seconds.

You can see a man approaching a couple in a dark sedan, which quickly leads to a confrontation.

The woman's unarmed husband gets out of the car and the man begins to charge at him with a sharp object.

The husband backs up several yards, trying to get away.

"The wife stepped out of the vehicle and shot one round, striking the suspect/victim in the throat," Chiaramonte said.

The man was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

"I don't know what the arguing was about," says AJ.

AJ saw it all happen and tells Action News he was just a couple of parking spots away when he heard the gunfire.

"It all happened pretty quick," he said. "It was really scary because the shot was really loud. It was just one shot. It was one shot. That's it."

Madera police say the couple has been cooperative with the investigation.

They were released last night after going to the police station for questioning. Officials say there are no plans to pursue charges for the shooting.

"It's not a defense of her but it's in defense of her husband," Chiaramonte said. "There was a lethal threat and the aggressive nature of him trying to swing and stab, and you'll see that in the video."

Police say they don't believe the two parties had contact prior to the altercation but the investigation doesn't stop here.

"It's not case closed yet," Chiaramonte said. "We are doing a lengthy investigation into the histories and trying to figure out what could've caused this in the beginning."

Right now, the man who was shot is still in critical condition at CRMC.

Police are hoping speaking to him will provide more answers about the initial confrontation. It's still unclear at this point if he could face charges in the case.