Woman shot husband in self-defense, Jessup police say
Aug. 12—A Jessup woman acted in self-defense when she shot her husband in the leg early Friday morning, Police Chief Joseph Walsh said.
Police charged her husband, Eric Stepkovitch, with simple assault and harassment because police alleged he slammed Katherine Groboski to the ground and repeatedly banged her head against the floor of their home, according to a criminal complaint filed by Officer Scott Syryla.
Police were called to 139 Palmer Drive at 12:40 a.m. to investigate a gunshot report. There, they found Stepkovitch, 42, bleeding from his left knee.
As officers tended to his wound, he said he and his wife got into an argument and he acknowledged he threw her to the ground. As he stood up, he heard two shots and soon realized his leg was bleeding.
Groboski told police she and Stepkovitch started arguing after she returned home.
"She tried to de-escalate the situation and he kept antagonizing," Walsh said.
As Stepkovitch shook her on the floor, she said she feared for her life and took out a pistol she carried and shot him in the leg, according to an affidavit.
Walsh said she legally possessed the weapon and had a permit.
The victim had bruises on her head and ribs and she was taken to Regional Hospital of Scranton. Her condition was not available later Friday.
Stepkovitch is jailed at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Aug. 22.
Contact the writer:
jkohut@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, x5187;
@jkohutTT on Twitter.
