A dispute between a man and a wife leaves one in critical condition in a Nashville hospital.

23-year-old Amanda Jackson, allegedly shot her husband 27-year-old Timothy Jackson, after according to friends he broke the lock on her door and took their son.

It happened around 6 a.m. Wednesday morning on Edmonton Road, where Amanda lives.

Neighbors say the couple is separated and they are not currently living together.

Timothy's father, Darrell Jackson, also a Kentucky Constable, tells WBKO, Timothy came by Wednesday morning only to pick up his son.

But, friends of Amanda say Timothy was abusive and it's been going on for almost a year.

Her close friend, Donna Branham, went make sure Amanda was okay when she heard what happened, "when you get backed into a corner the only place you can run is home. You can't run any further than home, she had the right to protect herself and her baby at her home," she says, "she had been attacked and when he had broken into her house and stole her cars and broke windows out of her car and took the baby... and he did it again after 5 a.m. and she protected herself this morning her and her child."

Friends say Amanda filed for an Emergency Protective Order against her husband on April 17th, but it was denied by a judge.

"Curious why the EPO was not served and why it was canceled, and even if it was canceled, why she was not notified, because I went with her myself and helped fill out the paperwork and it was not taken care of," says Branham.

Timothy's father says, the abuse goes both ways" and that his son is now in critical condition.

But, neighbors say they were afraid something like this would happen.

"In disbelief that it had to come to this point. She has tried to go legal-wise so many ways, different avenues and everyday and couldn't get any help, and she's just in disbelief that it actually had to come down to her using self defense," says Branham.

Timothy was airlifted to a Nashville hospital shortly after the shooting.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Department and the Kentucky State Police responded to the incident Wednesday morning.

KSP has now taken over the investigation.